Barred Windows
by Yami-no-Tamashii
Summary: After witnessing the deaths of his parents and sister, Yugi is sent to the mental asylum to undergo therapy. He befriends his roommate, Yami, said to be one of the most unstable and dangerous. But what happens when Yugi's grandpa comes to take him home?
1. Chapter 1

**Darkie: **And now, here's the long awaited arrival of my latest fic, _Straitjackets_!!! _-applause in the background- _I know you probably all hate me for taking so long, but I worked really hard to make sure that this chapter would be worth all you guys' reading. I wrote it, looked it over, edited it, and looked it over again. Now repeat that process about five times. Yep.

Special thanks to _Tavia454_ for being so kind as to beta this chapter for me! I owe her a lot, not to mention I feel incredibly honored that she actually liked it. xD It's like presenting your singing talents in front of your favorite singer. You're always convinced that you'll suck in comparison. Actually, I probably still suck in comparison, but hey, it's a start! _-glomps Tavia for the hundredth time-_ Thanks sooo much! I wouldn't have been able to get off my butt and post this without your help!

Also thanks to _Hikari-and-Yami_ for kicking my butt into gear. Even if she had to threaten me with a cyber knife. ^^

Okay, I think I've wasted enough of your time. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Arrival**

* * *

Yugi glanced around nervously as he was led through the dark, badly lit hallway. The whole place was giving him the creeps. Aside from his escort, he had yet to encounter a single living soul. Although, considering where he was, it would probably be better if he _didn't_ bump into any of the inhabitants of this dark fortress.

_Domino Mentaru Shuuyoujo_. (1)

The name had given Yugi the jitters ever since he had been told about it, when he was nine years old. His mother had told him of all the dangerous people there, and how none of them were right in the head, and that they were a danger to society so they had to be locked up behind bars. He had had nightmares about being chased down endless corridors by madmen for many nights afterward. But now, actually having to _enter _this God-forsaken place…this place gave the word 'creepy' a whole new meaning.

Of course, the Domino Asylum wasn't one of the bigger asylums in the country. It was actually just a separate wing of the Domino Hospital, reserved especially for the mentally ill. So, naturally, the living conditions were a lot more comfortable. Most of the people there were relatively stable, enough so that they were allowed to communicate with each other and socialize. It was only once in a while that a really serious case showed up, and usually that person would be shipped off to one of the larger, better equipped asylums in Japan.

For this, Yugi was extremely grateful.

After witnessing the tragic and violent deaths of his parents and little sister, Yugi had been becoming increasingly jumpy and paranoid. It grew to the extreme where he would wake up screaming several times each night. Finally, his grandpa, who he had been sent to live with after the accident, had had to send him here for who-knows-how-many months of therapy. Hopefully Yugi wouldn't have to stay long.

"We're here, Mutou-san."

Yugi looked up, surprised. During his brooding, his feet had been taking him forward automatically, so he hadn't noticed when they had finally arrived at their destination. The escort held the door open for him as he entered the pristine, white office. Yugi heard the door snap shut behind him.

The desk in front of him was empty, so Yugi assumed that the doctor wasn't in yet. He busied himself looking around the rather plain interior of the office. The walls were mostly blank, with an occasional picture hanging on them, the kind that you would find in normal doctor's offices, such as fish in a fish bowl. The only picture that wasn't actually a painting hung directly above the desk. It showed a couple in their mid-twenties, standing underneath a blazing sun among mounds of sand. The triangular silhouettes in the background showed that they were in Egypt. The man was most likely bald, but it was hard to tell, due to a turban that covered his head. His blue eyes were warm and a smile was on his face. The man's arm was wrapped around the shoulders of a woman about the same age, with bright blue eyes and long black hair. Both were wearing traditional Egyptian garb, and their rich tans showed that they were most likely Egyptian themselves.

Yugi's observation was interrupted, however, as another door leading into the office opened, and someone walked in. Yugi recognized him to be the very same man as in the picture hanging on the wall, the only difference being he wore no turban, showing his bald head, and that his blue eyes held no warmth.

"Good afternoon, Mutou-san. I am Dr. Shadi, and I will be your doctor during your stay here," the man, Shadi, said. Yugi could only nod mutely, not trusting himself to speak. Shadi took a seat at the desk.

"Now Yugi, I hope you understand why you are here," the doctor continued in a businesslike manner. Yugi shook his head. Shadi raised his eyebrows.

"Um…Dr. Shadi, um, sir, I think there's been a mistake. I'm not crazy," Yugi pleaded.

"I'm afraid you are in no position to argue, Mutou-san. You were witness to a terrible tragedy," Shadi stated in a stern tone.

Yugi slumped his shoulders in defeat. Shadi smiled, though it did not reach his eyes.

"I assure you that your stay here will not be entirely miserable. Some of the patients here are actually quite pleasant." Yugi looked up at him disbelievingly. "Well, once you get used to their rather, er, sporadic moments," Shadi added.

"Anyways," Shadi continued, returning to his business mode. "We'll have to get you a room with one of the free roommates, and then I'll escort you to dinner in the dining hall. I must say though, this place is packed, and finding a spare bed will be no easy task…" as the doctor muttered to himself, rifling through the files on his desk, Yugi once again zoned out.

Was he doomed to spend the rest of his life in this terrible place? And if he _did _ever get released, would he ever be accepted back into society? After all, who would want to befriend someone who's resume stated that they had spent the last few years in an asylum for mental therapy? As these worrisome thoughts passed through Yugi's head, Shadi finally managed to locate Yugi's schedule.

"Here, Yugi. This is your schedule, and your room will be room number 666---oh dear," Shadi exclaimed softly, gazing at the three digits printed neatly on the key-card with something akin to concern. Yugi cocked his head to the side.

"What's wrong, doctor?" he asked. Shadi shook his head, muttering to himself. Yugi could catch the words 'insane' and 'what were they thinking?'

"I'm sorry Yugi. I believe that there has been a mistake with your room number. That room is supposed to be off-limits. Hold on, let me make a call…" Shadi trailed off, grabbing the phone and tapping in a few numbers on the keypad. A few moments passed in silence as the dial tone sounded.

"Hello? Yes, yes, it's me, Shadi. I'm calling about the rooming decision for one Yugi Mutou." Silence, as whoever was on the other end of the line spoke. Shadi nodded. "Mhmm, yes, yes. Is there any other free room for him to stay in?" Another pregnant silence. The man's eyes widened and his voice rose, seemingly forgetting for a moment that Yugi was in the room.

"What? You can't be serious! …But you know as well as I do that that boy is dangerous, he's not supposed to have a roommate! …Yes…yes…I see. Very well. Good-bye." Shadi slammed the phone down with a sigh. Yugi watched him apprehensively. The doctor looked up at him, smiling weakly.

"Um…doctor? What's going on? What's wrong with my room?" he asked. Shadi just shook his head.

"Nothing to worry about right now, Yugi. Come on, I'll take you to the dining hall."

Once again, they headed down the seemingly endless hallway, twisting and turning every which way. Yugi was beginning to wonder how in the world he would ever be able to live here if he wouldn't even be able to remember the way to the dining room. Finally, they came to a set of plain green double doors, and Shadi pushed them open. Yugi's eyes widened.

The dining hall looked like…well, it looked like a dining hall. Yugi wasn't sure what he had been expecting. People crouched on their seats in straitjackets, having to eat like dogs? Nurses bustling about with needles injecting medications? Well, he was partly right. The people in it seemed almost normal, albeit having to wear the customary white hospital uniform, each having a different patient I.D. number stamped on the back. There were, however, a large number of guards stationed at various places around the room, usually one or two for each cluster of tables. There were also several nurses running about, handing out pill containers to the patients for them to swallow before eating. As soon as the door opened, all eyes swiveled to Yugi, but just as quickly turned away again. Yugi supposed that new patients weren't exactly a rare occurrence here.

"Come."

Shadi led him towards the back of the dining hall, and Yugi looked at his feet the entire way, trying to ignore the half-mad stares being directed at him. The doctor stopped at a table at very back of the room, where five boys were currently eating their dinner. Five pairs of curious eyes found Yugi's figure, and he fidgeted uneasily under their stares.

"Everyone, this is Yugi Mutou, our newest patient. I'll be leaving him in your care. Try your best to make him feel at home," Shadi said, almost mechanically, as though this were something he said regularly (which, Yugi realized, it probably was). The boys nodded, and Shadi left, but not before shoving a tiny silver key into Yugi's hands, which he assumed was for his room. Yugi then sat down at the end of the table, unsure what to do.

"Here." A plate of bland cafeteria food was pushed towards him, and Yugi looked up into the gentle doe-brown eyes of a youth not much older than himself, with a pale complexion and pure white hair.

"Thanks," Yugi muttered, before picking up his fork and poking at the food. He had lost all traces of his appetite ages ago.

"I'm Ryou, by the way. Ryou Bakura. This here's Bakura Dorobou," he said, pointing to another boy who looked like his twin. "That's Malik Ishtar, Marik Ishtahl, and Katsuya Jounouchi (but everyone calls him Jou)," He continued, pointing in turn at two tan Egyptian youths, and a shaggy blond-haired boy who was wolfing down his food.

"I'm Yugi Mutou," Yugi said shyly, still unwilling to meet anybody's gaze. The other white-haired boy, Bakura was his name, snorted.

"We know that, twerp," he said harshly, and Yugi bit his bottom lip, unsure of what to say. Ryou kicked him in the shin underneath the table.

"Be nice!" he hissed.

"Anyways, nice ta meet ya Yugi!" the blond said enthusiastically, having finally managed to swallow his food. He held out a welcoming hand, and Yugi stared at it, unsure of what to do. Should he shake it? But these people were supposed to be insane, weren't they? They could hurt him!

"Ah…ano," Yugi stammered. The boy named Malik smiled wryly.

"Afraid, huh? No worries, it's only natural. After all, everybody here is supposed to be raving mad," he said good-naturedly, and Yugi blushed at having his thoughts read so easily. Malik continued on. "Still, no worries. We're not like the other people here. Our mental states are pretty much stable, thank you very much."

"So…what's da matter with you?" Jou asked. Yugi turned a confused gaze onto him.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Jou stared at him.

"You know, I mean why are you here? What happened to you?" he asked. Yugi winced, and his eyes turned to the floor. He heard Ryou scold Jou for his tactlessness.

"Ano…well…um," Yugi stammered. The other Egyptian, Marik, turned cold purple eyes on him in interest.

"Well? Go on," he urged. Yugi shifted uncomfortably.

"I…really don't want to talk about it," he muttered. The others didn't press him for details. Yugi started fidgeting again.

The meal continued in relative silence, before a bell rang over the intercom and a nasally voice ordered them to their rooms. Yugi stood, up, clutching his key to his chest.

"Hey Yugi, which room are you in? We might be able to visit you sometime," Malik said

"Room number 666," Yugi replied. Everybody froze and stared at him, eyes wide. Yugi's palms began to sweat. "What?"

"Room 666?" Jou asked weakly. Even Bakura and Marik looked spooked.

"What? What's wrong?" Yugi asked, his voice squeaking. Bakura shook his head.

"They put you with _him_, shrimp," he whispered. Yugi stared at him.

"Who?" he asked, confused. Marik looked around, as though afraid that someone was listening in.

"_Yami,_ that's who," he hissed. Yugi still stared at him, confused. Didn't 'Yami' mean 'darkness'? Were they saying that he'd been put with _darkness_?

"Let me explain," Ryou stepped forward. "Rumor has it that in room 666, there's a patient. He's so unstable and insane, he's not allowed to come out at mealtimes, and needs his food brought to him by an armed guard," Ryou whispered, as though afraid of being heard. "I've heard that every once in a while, he goes completely mental, and has to be sedated and put in a straitjacket. He's the most dangerous person here. Even the guards are afraid of him."

"I heard he murdered his own parents," Jou said. Yugi's eyes had now doubled in size, and the hands that were clutching the key-card had started shaking.

"M-murdered his own p-parents?" Yugi squeaked out. The others nodded solemnly. Great. Just great. Trust Yugi to be the one with the most rotten luck, having to room with the supposed devil himself. If those rumors were true, he wouldn't make it through the night.

"I also heard that he wasn't allowed a roommate, because last time he had one, the guy didn't even come to breakfast the next morning. The nurses found him in a storage closet, in _pieces_," Malik whispered the last few words, as though revealing forbidden information. Yugi paled.

"B-but I thought that the patients here were relatively stable," he stammered out. Malik shrugged.

"The other asylums ran out of room, I guess," he said. "He's been here a long time."

"Mutou-san," a voice sounded behind him, and Yugi turned to find himself faced with a beautiful and busty blond. She was wearing a nurse's uniform. "Mutou-san, I am Mai Kujaku. I'm here to escort you to your room, as it's your first night here. Follow me."

With a nervous gulp, Yugi complied, glancing back at the pitying gazes of his friends. He heard Jou say something that sounded oddly like, "See ya in da mornin'…I hope." This did not help calm his nerves. Mai lead him up to the sixth floor of the building, which also incidentally happened to be the top floor, and they walked down the white cement hallway. Room 635…648…650…just as they passed room 655, Yugi became aware of a commotion that was happening a little ways down the hallway, where a bunch of burly guards seemed to be struggling with another person.

"Oh, not again," Yugi heard Mai mutter, before she sprinted off to help, the words "Stay here" left in her wake. Yugi resisted the temptation to take a closer look, but the guards had finally managed to calm the escapee and carried him back into the room. Mai returned to him, violet eyes annoyed.

"Honestly! I don't know _what _that boy is thinking in that deranged mind of his! Come along, we're almost there."

Yugi followed Mai to room 666, which Yugi saw, to his horror, was the same room that the guards had entered. So had that been the mysterious 'Yami' that his new friends had warned him about? Suddenly, the door opened, and out stepped three guards, one who was clutching his hand to his chest and hissing in pain. Mai beckoned Yugi inside.

"Just a precaution, Yugi-san: be careful around your roommate," she said seriously, and Yugi nodded, sweat trickling down his forehead. Finally, he was left alone in the entranceway. Taking a deep breath and counting mentally to ten, Yugi stepped into the room.

The dorm looked not much different from a prison cell. Everything was white, and it was fairly small, with two cots on opposite sides of the room against each wall. The bathroom was in a tiny room behind an equally tiny door, which was situated in the space between the cots. At the foot of each bed was a small wardrobe, no doubt filled with identical copies of the uniform that they had to wear. On the wall above each bed was a small, square window with three iron bars running vertically through the middle, matching the one on the door.

The sound of some very creative cursing snapped Yugi out of his observations, and he saw that there was someone crouched on the cot farthest from the door. He turned on the light, and gasped in surprise. The stranger…boy, really, looked almost exactly like himself. Well, not quite. Their hairstyles were the same, but that was about it. Though his face was turned downwards, Yugi could make out rich, tan skin that was most definitely not Japanese, and an angled and well chiseled jaw. The person was struggling with…his clothing? Oh wait, it was a straitjacket. That explains it.

"Um…hello?" Yugi greeted hesitantly, though it came out more like a question. The person immediately froze, before his head snapped up and his gaze met Yugi's. The latter resisted the urge to gasp. The boy's eyes were a deep, blood-red, and seemed to be able to peer straight through to your soul. Despite of this, however, Yugi could see an insane glint in those eyes that hinted at the youth's mental condition.

"What do you want?" the young man asked harshly in a rich, baritone voice. "The doctors send you to do their dirty work or something?"

"N-no," Yugi stammered, stunned at the stranger's rudeness. "I-I'm your new roommate…so, um…"

"New roommate, eh? Even after what happened last time?" the insane boy asked wryly, smirking darkly. Yugi gulped, and he twisted his hands.

"Um…so…anyways, I'll just, um, put my stuff away and then I'll go to sleep," he said unnecessarily, and he began to unpack, hanging up his clothes in the wardrobe at the foot of his bed, even though it was unlikely that he'll get the chance to wear them instead of his uniform.

"What's your name?" the boy asked harshly. It was more of a command than a question.

"Yugi. And yours?" Yugi asked, even though he already knew the answer. The youth huffed and turned away.

"It doesn't matter," he muttered. Yugi felt it best to leave him be. Murmuring a hasty good night, Yugi switched off the lights and curled up on the bed, which he realized was rather too close to the other bed for his liking. A few moments of silence passed, before,

"Yami."

Yugi blinked. "Pardon?" he asked. He heard his roommate scoff in irritation.

"My name is Yami," he repeated.

"Oh, right," Yugi said lamely, before turning around so that he was facing the back of his roommate. Before he finally caved in to the day's exhaustion, Yugi couldn't help but feel slightly happy that this mysterious youth had chosen to tell him his name, even though Yugi already knew it.

* * *

The figure on the far cot rose as the alarm clock beeped midnight, no longer clad in a straitjacket. Silently, the shadow crept out of bed and stood over the sleeping form of Yugi Mutou, red eyes glowing demonically. Something glinted in the boy's hand. A large, straight knife. The youth raised the blade above the curled up figure on the bed, preparing to strike. This would show those silly doctors that he wasn't interested in having a roommate anytime soon. And this time, he would make sure to make his death horrendous. He swung.

Yugi rolled over in his sleep muttering something about candy. His alabaster skin shone in the moonlight, giving his boyish face a sort of cherubic beauty. The silhouette above him faltered in his swing; the boy looked so pure, so innocent. The sharp point halted centimeters above his face. For the first time in almost a decade, a glint of emotion other than unprovoked anger was found in those crimson orbs. After long, drawn out sigh, the knife was withdrawn. The youth silently returned to his bed, and spent the rest of the night gazing out at the full moon beyond the bars of the window.

* * *

**Darkie: **Wipes sweat from brow. Holy f*ck that was a monster to write. Thanks again to Tavi and everybody else in Yuri's forum for making this chapter possible!

Now I'm going to crawl back in my hole and wait for your opinions. Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 2

**Darkie: **_Yami-no-Tamashii_ presents...the next chapter of _Straitjackets_!!! Yeah, I know, I had this whole chapter written out before hand, but when I went back to it, I thought I was rushing things too much, so I deleted the whole second half and rewrote it.

Anyways, OH EM GEE!!! 31 REVIEWS just for the first chapter! Does this mean I'll get 124 by the time I'm on chapter four? _-giggles- _Thank you so much for your support!

**Bakura: **I don't think all those reviews were good for her. You guys have inflated her ego.

**Darkie: **Shut up Bakura! Nobody asked you! And my ego is NOT inflated!

**Ryou: **At least your finally better after receiving reviews from your favorite authoresses. You _did_ pass out several times, after all. Plus you kept reading them again and again and again just to make sure they were real.

**Darkie: **_-blushes- _Um...uh...I can explain that. _-glances around uneasily- _

_-bows down to superior authoresses- _LET THIS UNWORTHY CHILD LEARN AT YOUR FEET! FOR SHE HAS ALL BUT WASTED HER ENTIRE THIRTEEN YEARS OF EXISTENCE!!!

_-clears throat-_

Thanks again to _Tavia454_ for beta-ing! I feel little more humble now that I actually had some stuff to fix in this chapter. xD

**Disclaimer: **I just realized I never put this in the first chapter. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! _-sobs- _If I did I'd make sure my avatar was telling the truth even more truthfully then it already is. _-thinks- _Well, actually, since the Doma arc technically never existed, it isn't telling the truth as much as I thought. _-gasp- _BUT REMEMBER EPISODE 52 PEOPLES!!! EPISODE 52 TELLS ALL!!! At least I think it was episode 52. _-points at awesome avatar that she found on Photobucket- _

**Warning: **This chapter in no way matches the awesomeness of chapter one. You have been warned. Any mental scarring from reading this chapter is entirely your fault. No money back guarantee. Have a nice day! xD

* * *

**Chapter 2 – First Day**

**

* * *

**

Yugi woke up in a cold sweat, eyes glazed over with fear. His right hand was outstretched towards the ceiling, as though reaching for something that wasn't there. It had been another nightmare.

Groaning, Yugi turned over in his oddly uncomfortable bed and looked at the small black alarm clock next to his bed. That was funny; he didn't recall having a digital alarm clock. The red numbers read 5:59. Suddenly, the time changed to 6:00, and an annoying buzzing sound filled the air. Yugi reached out and pressed each button in turn on the small black box until he found the one that stopped the alarm. Then, he turned back onto his back to gaze at the white ceiling.

Wait a second…wasn't his ceiling blue? He sat up and took in his surroundings. Okay…this was most definitely _not_ his bedroom. A low chuckle pierced the silence. His eyes flitted over to a second cot against the opposite wall, where the youth from last night was sitting, no longer clad in a straitjacket, and gazing at him with amusement in his deep red eyes.

Yugi blinked, not fully comprehending this image. 'Youth from last night'???

Suddenly, all the memories of last night came flooding back, and Yugi's spirits plummeted. Of course; he was at the _Shuuyoujo_. How could he have forgotten? Somewhere in his subconscious mind, Yugi had hoped that all the previous nights' happenings had merely been a bad dream, but his luck seemed to have run out. He slowly got out of bed and trudged to the bathroom, unaware of the ruby eyes that watched his every step.

* * *

The dining room looked exactly as it did the day before, except that instead of giving them bland rice and sushi, they received cereal and dry toast instead. Yugi took his tray to the back of the room, where the boys from the previous night had been waving him over.

"So, glad ta see ya made it through the night, Yug'!" Jou joked, patting Yugi roughly on the back. Yugi nodded, grinning nervously. He was still adjusting to having people actually care about his well being.

"So, what's he like?" Malik asked eagerly. Yugi looked at him, confused.

"What's who like?" he asked. The Egyptian rolled his eyes impatiently.

"You know, _him_! Your roommate!" he said. This caught the attention of everybody at the table. They leaned in, staring at Yugi, hungry for information. The tricolor-haired teen was beginning to feel slightly claustrophobic.

"Um…well…he's not bad, I suppose," Yugi muttered. He heard his new friends give snorts of disbelief. "He didn't say much," he added hastily. "Only asked for my name and told me his. He seemed to have had an episode with the guards before we got there though. He was in a straitjacket when I met him, but he somehow got out of it this morning."

"Wow," Ryou said, chewing slowly on his cereal. "So I guess it's true what they say. He can actually escape from a straitjacket? Just like Houdini?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Yugi replied, picking at his food. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over the table, and Yugi looked up to see a tall brunette with cold blue eyes towering over him.

"Hey Kaiba," Malik greeted from across the table, shooting a glance at the man. Yugi took this moment to take in the person's tall girth. He was wearing a customary doctor's uniform, and the small nametag above his breast pocket read, 'Seto Kaiba'. Seto nodded a greeting at the blonde Egyptian, before his eyes swiveled to Yugi.

"And who's this?" he asked. Yugi gulped.

"I-I'm Yugi Mutou, sir," he said hesitantly. Seto scanned him once over before turning away.

"Well, I'll be off now," he said casually, and Yugi noticed him glance back and look at Jou, who was staring back at him with equal intensity. "Have a nice day..._Katsuya_."

With that, he strode away and out of the dining hall. Yugi turned around to look at his blonde friend, who was staring after the young doctor, a slight blush evident on the bridge of his nose.

"What was all that about?" Yugi asked in confusion, turning to Ryou. The albino shrugged.

"Seto always does that," he said nonchalantly. "He's sort of an…acquaintance of ours, I suppose."

"Jou has the hots for him, don't you Jou?" Malik teased, while Marik and Bakura snorted into their cereal. Jou's gaze immediately shot over to Malik.

"I do not!" he retorted viciously, although his now bright red blush contradicted his words. Everybody but Yugi rolled their eyes.

* * *

After breakfast was field time, and Yugi finally got to go outside for the first time in almost twenty-four hours. According to his friends, there was a small lawn with a dirt track winding around it just behind the building. Yugi asked them why he had never been told of this before, and Bakura and simply replied that most of society wasn't really interested in what the mentally unstable were up to.

Now, they were standing at the beginning of the dirt track, along with about twenty other people. The rest of the patients would receive their own field time at different periods throughout the day. Yugi gazed at the track ahead of him, filled with dread. Physical Education wasn't exactly his best subject.

"Why exactly do we have to do this again?" he asked Marik. Said blonde shrugged.

"Dunno, something about keeping the patients healthy I guess," he replied nonchalantly. Yugi sighed as he resigned himself to his fate.

Fifteen minutes later…

"How –_gasp- _much –_gasp- _longer?" Yugi asked between pants as he ran his third lap around the large track. But no one answered; his friends were all way ahead of him. Figures. Suddenly, he felt something solid connect with his back, and he went sprawling forward on the dirt, scraping his exposed elbows and knees. Groaning, he pushed himself to his knees, only to have a foot come down on the back of his head, forcing him back into the dust. Harsh, cruel laughter rang in his ears.

Yugi raised his head to see three rather large guys running ahead, laughter spilling out in their wake. He painfully pushed himself back up into a sitting position, where he proceeded to make note of all the cuts and scrapes he had received.

"Yugi? Are you alright?"

Ryou's voice interrupted his self-check-up, and Yugi turned around to find the soft-spoken albino jogging towards him. He smiled weakly and got up, feeling the blood trickle down his shins. Ryou's eyes widened when he saw his smaller friend's state.

"You're hurt!" he exclaimed.

"It's nothing," Yugi insisted. "I'm used to it."

But Ryou was still staring at the blood flowing down the younger one's legs, eyes wide with horror. Yugi started to get worried.

"Um…Ryou? Look, I'll go to the infirmary if it makes you feel better."

Just then Bakura came running up towards them, having already finished his fifth lap. His eyes narrowed as he took in the scene before him. The shrimp had scraped his knees, and was now bleeding profusely. Ryou was staring at the blood like some sort of idiot. Oh snap.

"Ryou? Ryou are you alright?" Bakura asked, shaking the boy's shoulders. The albino didn't respond. Cursing softly, Bakura turned to Yugi.

"You'd better get yourself to the infirmary and get cleaned up," he suggested. Yugi nodded and began to limp down the track, only stopping to ask,

"Ryou will be okay, won't he?"

Bakura nodded. "The sight of blood just gets to him, is all. Nothing serious."

Yugi nodded and made his way slowly down the dirt track, wondering what on earth had spooked his white-haired friend so much. He soon forgot about it, however, as he and his friends made their way to lunch after field time, laughing and chatting like the best of friends.

* * *

After lunch, Yugi had a psychiatrist (1) appointment, so he proceeded down the hallway in the direction that a guard had pointed him, looking for room A5. When he reached it, knocked, and heard a quiet, 'Come in' before entering.

The room was not unlike Dr. Shadi's, with a plain and tasteless interior. He turned his gaze to the figure sitting at the desk. Cool blue eyes gazed back at him steadily, and Yugi recognized the woman to be the same one from Dr. Shadi's photograph.

"Please take a seat Mutou-san," the woman said, and Yugi quickly complied, settling himself in the hard-backed chair in front of the desk. He stared down at his hands, which were clenched in his lap, trying to ignore the searing blue gaze directed at the top of his head.

"There is no need to be nervous, Yugi-kun," the woman said amiably, reverting to Yugi's first name. "I am Dr. Ishtar, but please call me Ishizu."

Yugi didn't answer, but managed raised his head to meet her gaze. Ishizu seemed to accept that he wasn't going to answer, so she continued.

"I am going to be your psychiatrist during your stay here," she said. "These sessions will be spent helping you to cope with your family's deaths, and be able to move on and live a normal life."

Yugi's anger rose at this statement. Did she really think that he could forget about something like that so easily? Looking up at her with a glare, he opened her mouth to retort, when he realized that there was nothing but genuine concern and sincerity in her eyes. He faltered and lowered his eyes back to his hands.

"This is for your own good Yugi-kun," Ishizu said soothingly. "You cannot live the rest of your life thinking about the past. Have your nightmares stopped yet?"

Yugi fidgeted in his seat. "No," he answered regretfully.

"Do you want to talk about them now, or should we save that for later?" she asked kindly. Yugi looked back up at her fearfully. He didn't want to relive the event so soon! Ishizu must have seen his panicked look, because she smiled reassuringly at him.

"Don't worry," she said. "We'll save that for another day then, when you've gotten more comfortable here. Now, I want you to tell me about your life before the incident. Your relationship with your parents and sister, for instance."

Yugi winced at the mention of his deceased relatives, and he could almost hear Ishizu smile at him again. Was it part of a psychiatrist's job to be so…so…so _nice_?

"It will help if you talk about it, Yugi," she said softly, reaching out to take one of his hands, which was now clenching the table so hard that the knuckles had turned white. "If you keep your emotions bottled up inside, you'll eventually explode. Metaphoricallyspeaking, of course."

Yugi didn't answer. Ishizu released her hold on his hand and sat back in her chair.

"How about this? I'll ask you questions, and you answer them if you are able to," she suggested lightly, and Yugi nodded. "You'll have to get used to talking about them sooner or later. That's why I'm here. Now, can you tell me what your parents did for work?"

"My father was a lawyer, and my mother stayed at home to take care of me and—" his voice choked. "—Rebecca."

"Was Rebecca your little sister?" Ishizu asked, scribbling something on her clipboard.

_Isn't it obvious?_ Yugi thought irritably, but instead he said, "Yeah."

"Tell me about her."

At this request Yugi's throat seemed to clog up. He couldn't get a word out, and he really didn't want to. Rebecca. His sweet, little, twelve-year-old sister. Yugi's family had adopted her when Yugi was thirteen and Rebecca was eight. She had been the granddaughter of an old friend of his parents, Arthur Hawkins, and when he had passed away, their family had taken her in. She had since become like a little sister to Yugi, and he could always count on her to be there when he needed someone to talk to. Even if that someone was five years younger than him. Losingher had hit Yugi harder then either of his parents' deaths.

An awkward silence consumed the two, and Yugi found himself unable to continue, despite of the questions and encouraging comments Ishizu gave him. He wasn't ready for this; not now. It was too soon. Yugi's vision started to become blurry; he could feel the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. Any more of these questions and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep from breaking down.

After a while of gaining no response from her patient, Ishizu finally took pity on the boy. It must be hard for him, after all, to speak of his parents so soon after they were lost to him. Making a few more notes on her clipboard, she stood up.

"I think that will be enough for today, Yugi," she said. "We will have another appointment tomorrow. Have a nice day."

With that said, she left the room through a separate door at the back, leaving Yugi to deal with his erratic thoughts.

* * *

All thoughts of his psychiatrist appointment were wiped from his mind,though, as he sat down to dinner with his newfound friends. Together they talked and laughed, almost like normal people, although their jokes always had a darker undertone to them that could only result in their isolation from the rest of society.

Yugi found out many things about his friends and why they were sent here. Apparently, Bakura and Marik, who had been friends from elementary through high school, had been sent to the asylum for their rather, er, sadistic sense of humor. The teachers at their high school had apparently had enough of it, and the school board had expelled them, resulting in their parents sending them to the asylum in the hope that they would return home changed and respectable. Needless to say, that didn't seem like it would happen anytime soon, even though they had already been in the asylum for a year and a half.

Malik had been in a situation quite similar to Yugi's. After witnessing the death of his father, he had also begun having recurring nightmares, and was sent here for treatment. To Yugi's surprise, his older sister, who worked here, was none other than Ishizu Ishtar, his psychiatrist. He had been at the asylum for two years.

The other three boys, however, had been much less open about it. Jou had sheepishly shrugged off the question, saying that he didn't really want to talk about it, and Ryou had just stayed silent and looked at his lap, which spoke volumes to Yugi, having been in the same situation during his appointment with Ishizu.

All in all, he supposed, it had been a fairly productive night in getting to know his new friends. If Joey and Ryou didn't want to talk about it, then they didn't want to talk about it. He wasn't going to force the issue; that would be just rude, after all, especially since he knew exactly how they felt.

The asylum wing of the Domino Hospital didn't have elevators – for safety purposes. After all, cramping a bunch of mentally unstable people in one small space didn't seem likeall that good of anidea. Who knew what would happen? Therefore, Yugi had to climb six flights of stairs to his room.

As he walked slowly down the long hallway towards his room, he wondered what his roommate was doing. It must be incredibly boring to be cooped up in a tiny room all day, after all. Yugi couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for the guy.

When he finally reached the door, he glanced up uneasily at the three silver digits nailed onto it. 666. The Devil's number. Even though he wasn't Christian, Yugihad to admit that if that wasn't a bad omen hedidn't know what was. Taking a deep breath, he eased the door open, wincing as it creaked loudly. A sudden shuffling sound was heard inside, and when Yugi stepped into the room, he saw Yami sitting comfortably on his cot. As he gazed into those cool ruby irises, Yugi suddenly found it extremely hard to utter a greeting. Luckily, Yami saved him from humiliating himself.

"Hey kid," he said tonelessly, eyes leaving Yugi's face to scan him up and down, before returning to Yugi's face again. Yugi swallowed.

"I have a name you know," he retorted, trying to sound sharp, but it simply came out rather weak and whiny. Yami chuckled. Yugi found himself entranced by the low, rich sound.

"I know you have a name, _Yuugi,_" he replied. Yugi found himself noticing the way his name seemed to roll off Yami's tongue, and how he seemed to extend the 'u'.

"T-then you'd better use it," Yugi retorted, managing to make his voice sound stronger, though he still stuttered on the first word. He turned to his wardrobe, planning to change into a cleaner uniform. He could feel Yami's eyes burning the back of his scalp.

"Why are you here?" Yami asked harshly, using the same tone he used when asking for Yugi's name the night before. Yugi turned around to glare at his roommate, though by the look on Yami's face, he probably didn't look very threatening.

"It's none of your business why I'm here," he snapped. "And what about you? What did you do that has all my friends convinced you're the most insane and unstable person in this God-forsaken place?" Yugi had obviously touched a nerve there, for Yami's face immediately darkened.

"Well then I suppose you should listen to your dear _friends_ then," he snarled, his personality doing a complete turn-around. Yugi stepped back, startled and rather afraid. "'Stay away from Yami, he's mentally disturbed!' 'He's a lunatic, that one, don't go near him!' Pah! And to think I thought _you_ would understand!" Yami spat out, eyes smoldering. Yugi's eyes widened.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered out. "I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to offend you o-or anything."

At this, the fire in Yami's eyes seemed to dim, and his shoulders seemed to sag. "No," he said, turning his face away. "They're right. I'm a freak. I'm dangerous. I…I'm not stable. You would do best to avoid me as much as possible from now on. Request a room transfer, anything." With that, he pulled up the covers on his cot and lied down, turning so that he was facing the wall with his back to Yugi.

Yugi immediately felt really bad for starting the whole thing. He cautiously walked over to the cot and stood over **Yami's** still form.

"Yami?" he called. "Yami, I'm sorry."

Yami didn't answer. Yugi began to grow desperate. For some reason he couldn't bare the thought of Yami not speaking to him throughout his stay here.

"Yami…please," he said. "I'm sorry. I should have realized--"

"Stop." And stop Yugi did. He looked down at Yami's curled up figure. "It's best this way Yugi," he said. "You'll just get hurt if you keep on trusting me. I'm not right in the head, Yugi. I lash out and hurt those around me. That's why I was confined. I'm a freak. The doctors have told me this everyday for half my pathetic life. It's best if you just stay away." He turned and looked up at Yugi with sad eyes, eyes that had seen much more than they had been ready to see.

Yugi didn't give up. Taking a risk, he sat down on the edge of Yami's cot, causing him to stiffen and avert his eyes. Yugi put a hesitant hand on the older teen's shoulder.

"Don't think that, Yami," he said softly. "Everybody here is mentally unstable to some point. But with the doctor's help, they're able to change. Get over whatever happened to them."

Yami scoffed bitterly. "The _doctors_ gave up on me a long time ago, Yugi," he hissed. "I'm incurable."

"Did you try your best to cooperate with them? Did you tell them everything?" Yugi asked, knowing that he was being slightly hypocritical. He, after all, hadn't told Ishizu really anything. But he still had many more appointments, and many more chances. Yami hadn't responded to his question. Gotcha.

"I didn't want to talk about it," he finally said. "If I told the truth, they wouldn't believe me. They thought I was sent here for a different reason."

Yugi frowned. What Yami said didn't make any sense. How could he have been sent here for something completely different then whatever was wrong with him? But looking at Yami's expression, Yugi felt it best to leave that question for another time.

"I want to be your friend, Yami," he said softly, and Yami's eyes flitted back to his face, filled with surprise and confusion. "I can tell that you're lonely here all by yourself. But I can't be your friend if you don't let me." Yugi waited, patiently, for an answer.

And an answer came.

"I…I haven't had a friend in a long time," Yami admitted, finally sitting up to look Yugi eye to eye. "I don't know if I even remember what friendship feels like. It's a miracle I still know how to talk after all these years. But…I'll try…for you, I'll try."

Yugi smiled happily and hugged Yami. Surprised, the teen hesitantly returned the hug, before Yugi stood up and retreated to his cot. A few minutes later, a sleepy 'good night' was said, and the smaller teen drifted off to sleep.

Yami gazed at the curled up figure on the cot, his arms and torso still tingling from the boy's touch. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Yami, too, laid back down on the cot and tried to sleep. But it wasn't until midnight, when the moon was high in the sky, that he finally managed to succumb to slumber.

All the while trying to figure out the strange emotions that stirred in his previously empty heart.

* * *

(1) I read somewhere that therapists help to deal with diseases or disorders, while psychiatrists work more on the mind and emotions. Or something like that. So that would mean Yugi would need a psychiatrist, not a therapist…right? Although you know, in the summary I said he had to go through therapy…um…help? _-grins weakly- _

**Darkie: **_-starts to tip-toe away, only to be grabbed by Yami- _HEY!

**Yami: **Get back here and face your reviews like a man!

**Darkie:** ...but I'm not a--

**Yami: **_-glares- _

**Darkie: **_-bows head- _Yes, oh mighty sex god.


	3. Chapter 3

**Darkie: **Oh my Ra I actually updated. _-bows and takes a deep breath- _

GOMENASAI GOMENASAI GOMENASAI!!! _-cries- _I had some trouble with my account. You see, I have this friend, who's two years older than me, who has this reeaaally annoying little sister. And so, after reading this Harry Potter fanfiction, the little sister (age 10), got into fanfiction, and made an account (WHICH SHE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE, DAMMIT!). THEN, when she comes over one day so that I can 'babysit' her while her sister goes SHOPPING with her friends (It isn't the first time, either. I should be getting paid, dammit.), she finds out my account pen name. I ended up having to change it, and deleted two of my stories that I didn't want her to read. THEN, she found out my username AGAIN, because the FF search engine is so bloody retarded. She just typed in the name of my crossover, which I had CHANGED THE TITLE OF, and FF just gave her the link to my story! So I had to change it. AGAIN. Only then, stupid computer somehow saved my username and password onto the log in page, so when SHE tried to log in, she saw my password already in the box, so she clicked LOG IN, and got onto my account. URGH. THEN, she added me to her favorite author's list so that everytime I update, she'll be notified. I changed my username back. There really wasn't much point anymore. So now I'm damn pissed at the brat, but I'm updating this anyway for you guys' sake. ^^

And if your reading this, brat, here's a message from me to you: STAY AWAY FROM MY FICS YOU _-the following words have been censored to protect the innocent-_!!! YOU'RE NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO HAVE AN ACCOUNT DAMMIT!!! DON'T COME RUNNING TO ME WHEN YOU ACCIDENTALLY BECOME MENTALLY SCARRED, TRAUMATIZED, OR CORRUPTED BY READING AN M-RATED STORY!!!

_-takes a deep breath- _Okay, I'm good.

**Bakura: **It's about fucking time, woman! That was the longest rant I've ever had the misfortune to hear!

**Darkie: **Shut, you. Oh, and before I forget, you might have noticed that I changed the title of this to 'Barred Windows'. I thought it gave out a cool 'trapped and confined' vibe. Tell me what you think!

**Ryou: **_-reads paper- _Wow! 71 reviews Darkie! That's over twice of the amount as before!

**Darkie: **_-squeals- _Yay! I'm so honored you all like this story! I swear I nearly keeled over and died when the first few reviews came tumbling in when I just started this project. I hope this chapter meets your expectations.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh...the Doma Arc would never have existed. Yami would NEVER betray Yugi like that. _-pouts-  
_

**Marik: **Um...Darkie...what about your avatar?

**Darkie: **O_O Uh...uh...I can explain...um...I thought it looked hot, okay?! Sheesh! _-crosses arms over chest- _

**Warning: **This chapter contains an extremely cliche and really lame dream sequence. You have been warned. Yami-no-Tamashii is not responsible for any mental scarring or trauma that may result from reading this chapter. No money back guarantee. You have been warned. Don't sue me!

Many thanks to Tavi for betaing!!

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Rift**

**

* * *

**

After that fateful night, Yami started making a conscious effort to talk to Yugi more often, other than just a 'hello' and 'good-bye' whenever he left the room. However, most of their conversations were awkward and broken; after all, Yami really couldn't talk to Yugi about current events, having been locked up for so long. And Yugi didn't want Yami to feel left out whenever he had the urge to start talking about Duel Monsters and the new holographic technology.

In the end, they simply ended up talking to each other about their hopes and dreams, worries and fears. Yugi told Yami about how he was hoping to get a job working to test games for one of the big gaming companies, and in turn, Yami told him about his old childhood dream of becoming an archaeologist; something that he still seemed to want to do. Yugi found that they both had a fascination with ancient cultures, particularly Egypt, which Yami mentioned as being his homeland before he moved to Japan at the age of four.

Yugi noticed something different about Yami whenever he talked about his birthplace. Maybe it was the fact that he always had a rare smile on his face when he did, or that his eyes would glaze over, as though remembering things from his childhood. Whatever it was, Yugi had no doubt that Yami held a great respect for Egypt.

There was, however, one thing that Yugi learned never to mention in front of his handsome roommate. And that was his family. Once, Yugi had been telling Yami about a time when he and Rebecca had gone to the beach without permission, and had ended up having a great time, until his parents had so happened to take a beach-side walk and catch sight of the two of them. Yami had listened politely through the whole story, though Yugi had noticed that his eyes seemed deader that usual. When Yugi asked him about his own family, however, Yami had visibly tensed and averted his eyes, proceeding to burn holes in the opposite wall with his gaze. He didn't speak for the rest of the night.

When Yugi questioned him about his reaction the next day, Yami always either changed the subject, or pretended not to hear the inquiry. But still Yugi persisted. His efforts only succeeded in annoying Yami until the older teen finally snapped. At which time he whirled around and thrust his face so close to Yugi's that the latter could smell the elder's hot, spicy breath.

"My past is none of your business, _boy_," he had snarled, red eyes bright with anger. Yugi had taken a step backwards, eyes wide. "If I don't want to talk about it, then you had better accept that, rather then pestering me about it every moment of the day. I could tell you things that I've seen that would make even your hair curl."

With that said, the irate teen stalked into the bathroom, and a moment later Yugi heard the sound of running water, signifying that Yami had gone into the shower.

Yugi kept a fair distance from his roommate for the next few days, though he couldn't help but feel lonely without Yami to talk to each night. Sure, he had his other friends, but it just wasn't the same.

With a jolt, Yugi realized that he had started to live for his and Yami's nightly conversations. He would always wolf down his dinner and wait impatiently for the buzzer to ring and dismiss them to their rooms so that he could go and see the handsome teen. And, if he didn't know better, he'd say that Yami was also eager to see him as well, always giving him a bright smile whenever he came into the room. It made Yugi feel special when he realized that he was probably the only person that Yami smiled at in such a way.

But now, almost two weeks had passed, and neither had spoken a word to each other. This rift was even beginning to affect his appointments with Ishizu, making it so that he found it hard to concentrate on her endless amount of questions. In the end, during their last session, the level-headed psychologist had gotten so frustrated, she had sharply asked Yugi to leave her office and only return once he'd fixed whatever was on his mind. Yugi had never moved so fast in his life.

In all honesty, he was afraid. Afraid of what the crazed boy would do to him if he pushed him too far. Even when they had been speaking to each other, there was just that slight hint of a maniacal gleam in Yami's eye that Yugi never failed to miss. And it was always present, no matter how _human_ Yami seemed when they talked.

It scared him, that gleam. Which was why Yugi had made no move to fix things between him and the Egyptian boy, no matter how many chances arose. As much as he knew that things couldn't go on the way that they were between the two of them, he just couldn't bring himself to cross that newly built wall between them that he had set up.

**

* * *

**

Laundry Day (1)…the day that everybody had to gather their dirty uniforms and other miscellaneous clothing into their suitcases and deliver them to the nurse. As Yugi waited in line, he thought about his scarlet-eyed roommate. He'd apologize today, he vowed to himself. He'd set things straight once and for all. He couldn't keep this up; it was tearing him apart – and there was no telling what it was doing to his roommate, for the boy had closed himself off completely to Yugi. There was no telling how much damage his pressing had caused.

"Next!"

Yugi was jolted out of his reverie by the plump, crabby-looking nurse standing in front of him. Smiling sheepishly, he gave her his suitcase, which she took with a haughty sniff and carried into the room. As her apron swished out of sight, Yugi's thoughts once again reverted to Yami.

He'd apologize today. _Definitely today,_ he thought determinedly, and then grimaced. He had made that promise to himself every day for two whole weeks.

* * *

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Yami turned over in his sleep, only to fall off the edge of the extremely small cot. Grumbling to himself, he untangled his limbs from the sheets and went to answer the door. Finding that it had already been unlocked for him by the person outside, he pulled it open, finding himself face to face with a burly guard, who was carrying a tray of food in his large hands. Yami glanced down at the contents of the tray. A bowl of oatmeal, and a piece of bread.

Lunch.

Muttering obscenities to himself in what little Egyptian he still knew, he grabbed the tray from the guard and slammed the door in the man's face. Picking up the piece of bread, he tore into it with his teeth, turning to walk back to his cot. There he set the tray down on the ground beside the bed,picking up the bowl only to eat from it directly**,** holding it up to his lips and sipping at the bland-tasting oatmeal disinterestedly, with a complete disregard for the spoon that had been given to him.

While he ate, he thought about the last week. It had been awfully lonely without Yugi to talk to, and Yami wished that things would go back to the way they were. He knew he should probably apologize for snapping at the poor boy, but a small part of his brain told him that it was Yugi who should be apologizing. After all, he had no right to go nosing into Yami's personal life. Yami had every right to tell him off.

Right?

Maybe, Yami thought dejectedly. Maybe he had been a bit harsh. Yugi had only been trying to help, after all. Sadly, Yami realized that had he been the same person he used to be before being sent to the asylum, he probably would never have snapped at Yugi. He probably would have just told him gently that he didn't want to talk about it, no hard feelings at all. But it seemed that the years of solitude had finally caught up to him. He wasn't used to having someone around to talk to. Someone who wouldn't judge him based on the opinions of others**. **He didn't know how to act, how to behave. When Yugi had asked him about his parents, he had done the first thing that he could think of, which was go into 'insane asylum freak' mode.

Slumping his shoulders and sighing, Yami set down the now empty bowl back onto the tray. Yugi probably hated him now. After all, he hadn't tried to make amends. At first, Yami had been sure that Yugi would come to him and apologize for everything the next day, but now he realized that even Yugi wasn't _that_ naïve. He probably finally realized just how dangerous and unpredictable Yami was, and was now keeping his distance. He was probably afraid of him now, just like everybody else in this Ra-forsaken hellhole.

For some reason, this only made Yami even more upset. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to figure out where everything had gone wrong. He and Yugi had been friends, right? Yami frowned at this. Yugi wasn't a permanent resident like he was. Yugi would have to leave eventually, after the doctors fixed his condition, whatever it was.

Yami sighed. He should have known better then to let himself grow too friendly with Yugi. He was just going to leave him, like everybody else had in his life. And when that time finally did come, Yami bet that Yugi would only be too happy to get away from him.

With these depressing thoughts whirring around inside his head, Yami soon felt his eyelids begin to droop with fatigue. It wasn't long before sleep overcame him like a dark wave.

* * *

_He was standing in the middle of a vast expanse of green, well-cropped grass. __Weird...wasn't he supposed to be...? But the thought trailed of.__**. **__He looked up to see a brightly shining sun in the middle of a clear blue sky. Shielding his eyes from the brightness, he __glanced__ around, __mystified__. In the distance he saw a silhouette of a person standing on top of a small knoll. __His curiosity getting the better of him__, he walked toward them for a closer look._

_The person turned around and Yami's breath hitched. Familiar garnet-colored eyes gazed at him with warmth, and golden hair fanned out from an elegant face. _

Mother…

_She stretched out a graceful hand, beckoning him closer, and Yami found himself moving slowly towards her, as though in a trance. Finally, he was a mere three feet away, and his mother's mouth opened, a voice that sounded like chimes emitting from it._

"_Atemu…"_

_Yami's eyes never left her face, and were wide and full of love and adoration. 'Mama,' he mouthed silently, before throwing his arms around her slim frame, his own racking with dry sobs. _

"_I'm sorry mama," he whispered over and over again, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. "I couldn't protect you that night. I couldn't stop him…I'm sorry."_

_His mother's arms wrapped around his shoulders,__cocooning him in her embrace__, as she pressed a pair of full lips against his forehead. _

"_Hush, Atemu," she said softly. "It's alrigh__t...It__ was _all your fault, after all, you little piece of shit!"

_Yami gasped as his mother's voice __deepened drastically, __the arms __that had held him so gently before now constricting around him painfully. He looked up only to suppress a scream. _

_It was his father's face that now __loomed before him, eyes bloodshot and the smell of alcohol __radiating__ off of him in waves. His chapped lips opened and his voice boomed out and echoed all around the room._

"_You ungrateful piece of filth! Is this how you repay me for putting a roof over your head all these years?!" he roared. Yami tried to wrench himself out of his father's grasp, but the arms around him only grasped him harder. Tears were now streaming freely down his cheeks, as he gazed up at the man that he once called 'papa'. _

_Suddenly, his father's body disappeared, and Yami felt himself falling…falling…until he landed with a THUMP on a hard office chair. Across from him, sitting behind a cold metal desk, was a man with tanned, skin, a bald head, and piercing blue eyes. Yami's insides immediately began to boil with hate. It was _him. _The doctor who had ruined his life._

_Words and phrases echoed in Yami's head as he gazed into those emotionless blue eyes. 'Freak'…'unstable'…'danger to society'…'must be locked up'…'insane'. Yet the whole time, Shadi wasn't uttering a sound. _

_Grimacing, Yami clutched at the sides of his head, shutting his eyes tightly and trying to block out the unforgiving words. He was insane, he was unstable…why did these people insist on telling him things that he already knew? Why?!?!_

_Just when Yami thought that his head would explode with these cruel words and taunts, he felt himself falling into darkness once again, this time landing in the middle of his asylum cell. Blinking dazedly, Yami's eyes focused on a figure bustling about on the opposite side of the room, throwing closes and belongings into a suitcase. It was Yugi._

"_Where are you going?" Yami rasped out, his throat mysteriously sore. Yugi turned and shot him a cold glance, and Yami automatically recoiled at the hate that shown in those normally cheerful amethyst orbs._

"_I'm being released today," the teen said haughtily, snapping his suitcase shut. "You'll have this room all to yourself again."_

_Yami's eyes widened. Yugi was leaving? No…it couldn't be. Not so soon. Yami hadn't even had the chance to apologize…_

"_Yugi—" he began, but the boy cut him off. _

"_Don't you 'Yugi' me," he snapped. "You know, I didn't even want to be your friend in the first place. I only pitied you, because you seemed so lost and pathetic. But you were probably just doing that to lure me into a false sense of security, ne? So you could go all 'crazy psycho' on me and chop me up into little bits like you did with your other roommate!"_

_These words were like daggers that __pierced__ deep into Yami's heart, and he felt himself fill with anger against his will. He stood up to his full height and glared at Yugi, who simply looked at him with an indifferent expression on his face._

"_I thought you were different!" he snarled. "I thought you understood!"_

"_Understood what?" Yugi mocked. "That you're an insane freak who likes to chop people up and hide them in storage closets? You thought I was naive, so you tried to take advantage of me! You make me sick!"_

_With that, he turned and walked out the door, slamming it harshly behind him. As the sound of his footsteps retreated down the long hallway, Yami fell to his knees beside his cot and buried his face in his hands._

* * *

"YUGI!!!"

Yami jerked awake, his entire body covered in a cold sweat. Yugi's words played over and over again in his mind.

"Calm down Yami," he muttered to himself. "It was only a dream…it was only a dream. Yugi wouldn't say those things to you…"

Would he?

Biting back a sob, Yami quickly glanced over to Yugi's side of the room, searching for the suitcase that normally sat under the teenage boy's cot.

It wasn't there.

Yami's insides turned cold. Had Yugi left while he was sleeping? No, it couldn't be! Yami still had to apologize! Thoughts jumbled, Yami hastily stumbled out of bed, heading for the door. He rattled the handle. It was locked. Yami used his fists to bang on the door, even though he knew it wouldn't work.

"Yugi," he croaked. "I'm sorry."

He walked slowly back to his bed and settled back down on the mattress, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms on the mattress. Rocking back and forth…back and forth. The doctors' words echoing in his mind.

"_You're a freak."_

"_Incurable!"_

"_Mentally unstable!"_

"_Ought to be locked up, that one."_

"Stop it," Yami gasped, clutching his head and pulling at his hair. "SHUT UP!"

Eyes wide and unseeing, the youth's right hand slowly slid under his pillow, fingers curling around the handle of the knife he kept hidden there.

* * *

(1) Um...Laundry Day was something I completely made up. I just needed a reason for Yugi's suitcase to not be there. Eh heh...

Notice: For those of you who have added me to Author Alert/Fave Authors. I have this really lame HP/YGO xover in progress, so unless you actually WANT to read it, please ignore the update emails.

**Darkie: **_-sweatdrop- _Now that I think about it...the last part sounded REEAAALLY lame. I hope Yami was deranged enough in this chapter!

...I think I'll go back to hiding in my--EEP! _-is grabbed by Yami again- _

**Yami: **_-glares- _What have I told you about taking your praise like a man?!

**Darkie: **For the last time, I'm not a _-catches look in Yami's eyes and immediately quiets down- _Hmph! Fine! _-whispers- _Everybody, go on DeviantArt and search up 'Yami Yugi is a...GIRL?' Click on the first picture that comes up. You won't be disappointed. xD

**Yami: **_-gapes- _Hey!!! Don't you dare show them that picture!!!

**Darkie: **_-grins and dashes away- _Aw, come on! You look quite pretty as a girl!

**Yami: **_-flushes- _Why you little..._-Sennen Eye appears on forehead- _

**Darkie: **O_O Oh shi--ACK!_ -is mind-crushed by Yami- _

**Yugi: **Oh dear! _-covers Darkie with a blanket- _The next chapter will be posted as soon as Yami releases Darkie from the Shadow Realm! And please, don't forget to review! Also, that picture that Darkie was talking about actually exists.

**Yami: **_-jaw hits floor- _YUGI!! HOW COULD YOU?!?!

**Yugi: **_-grins mischievously- _Check out the artist of that picture. She's drawn a lot of hawt Yami Yugi pictures! (That was the only one where he was a girl, though.) xD And she's a Puzzleshipper!


	4. Chapter 4

**Darkie: **O_O Wow, it's the fourth chapter.

**Cast: **HURRAY!!!

**Darkie: **^^ Okay, so a few things about this chapter. DO NOT START THROWING ANY HEAVY, POINTY, OR SPLATTER-ABLE OBJECTS BEFORE YOU FINISH THE CHAP! Capeesh?

**Yami: **-_- I have a baad feeling about this.

**Darkie: **Shut, you. ^^ I also found it extremely amusing that several of you were convinced that Yami was gonna go emo and start cutting himself. Well...you'll just have to see, won't you? _-grins evilly- _

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Yugioh...I'd be having fanfics sent to me and being made into mangas.../nods/ Yup...^^

**Warning: **The following chapter is not suitable for children under the age of whatever age you are allowed to read fics where people throw knives. If you are under this age, Yami-no-Tamashii is not responsible for any mental scarring caused by reading this chapter.

I also suck at writing Puppyshipping. Just so you're warned. ^^ Any mental-scarring (and this applies to ALL of you, not just those "underage") from reading the short, random little Puppyshipping scene in the middle of this chapter is entirely your fault.

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Dreams vs. Reality**

**

* * *

**

Yugi lugged his suitcase – now filled with clean clothes - down the spotless white hallway later that day, thinking about what he was going to say to Yami. He couldn't put this off any longer. He was going to apologize, and then Yami would forgive him and they could go back to being friends.

Well…_if_ Yami forgave him. He didn't really seem like the forgiving type.

Turning the small brass key in the lock, Yugi entered the dimly lit room, shutting the door behind him with a soft click. Flipping on the light switch, his gaze caught sight of Yami curled up against the wall on his cot. Yugi frowned. Something didn't seem right…

The boy then noticed that his roommate was acting awfully strange. He was rocking back and forth, muttering to himself incoherently. His eyes were wide and bright with…shock? Anger? Fear? Whatever it was, Yugi didn't want to see that look in Yami's ruby orbs ever again. His right hand was fingering something under his pillow.

"Yami?" Yugi called hesitantly. Yami's head snapped up and swiveled to Yugi so fast that it was a wonder he didn't get whiplash. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in a small 'o'. Yugi simply looked at Yami, thoroughly confused.

"Um…I'll just go…take a shower and put my stuff away, I guess," Yugi said lamely, turning to deposit his suitcase back under his bed. As he turned to hang his freshly laundered and ironed uniform in the small wardrobe next to his bed, he heard something whoosh by his right ear. Less than a second later, he found himself staring at a rather large chef's knife embedded on the inside of the open wardrobe. A pale, shaking hand made its way up to his right cheek, feeling a sticky wetness where the knife had grazed him. Taking his hand away, he saw blood on his fingers. Yugi slowly turned around.

Garnet-colored eyes, glazed over with madness, glared at him fiercely from across the room. Yami's mouth was curled in a snarl, his larger-than-average canines especially prominent. His arms were held slightly away from his sides, fingers spread apart and twitching as though itching to put themselves around Yugi's neck.

"Why did you come back?" the asylum patient growled out, eyes narrowed and filled with hate. Yugi took a step back, feeling the wardrobe behind him. He was trapped.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" he stammered out, eyes wide. Something was wrong…this wasn't like Yami. What had happened while he was gone?

"You left," Yami snarled accusingly, pointing a shaking finger at the boy. "You left…your suitcase…it was gone."

"What?" Yugi asked, confused. What was…reality dawned on him. Yami hadn't known it was Laundry Day. When he saw that Yugi's suitcase wasn't there, he had probably assumed that the boy had left the asylum. "No! Yami, you don't understand—AH!"

Moving faster than Yugi had ever thought possible, Yami had made his way across the room and pinned Yugi to the wall by the neck. The latter's fingers grasped at Yami's larger hand, trying to pry himself from the iron grip, but to no avail. Yami's face was now so close that Yugi could practically see the emotions swimming around in his crimson orbs, none of them pleasant.

"You think you can leave…without saying anything…leaving me here all alone…_abandoning_ me, just like everybody else did in my pathetic life…and come back expecting everything to be alright?" he growled almost inaudibly.

"Yami—"

"SILENCE!" Yugi immediately quieted down at Yami's roar, though his eyes still remained defiant, andslightly fearful. The fear in those eyes grew when Yami used his free hand to reach over and pluck the knife from the inside of the wardrobe and hold it up to his neck.

"Yami…please," Yugi whimpered, eyeing the blade fearfully. "I never left the asylum! It was Laundry Day! I had nothing to carry my clothes in so I took my suitcase with me!" Yami's eyes showed that he hadn't comprehended a word the boy had just said.

"Yami, you have got to believe me! You're confused. Please, Yami…st-stop." Tears were now welling up at the corners of his eyes, and they weren't from the pain of Yami's grip. No, these tears were flowing for the sake of the young man before him, who no longer seemed to realize the difference between imagination and reality. "Please Yami…you're hurting me!" Yugi cried out as the hand around his neck tightened.

* * *

"Please Yami…you're hurting me!"

Yami froze in his actions, the frightened words echoing in his mind, bringing to surface memories that he had long since buried. He gasped, blinking as an image filled his mind.

_He was seven years old, being pinned against the wall of his bedroom by his father, who was looking at him with eyes filled with drunken hate, while his own red ones were wide with fear._

"_Let go Papa! Let go, please!" he cried out, eyes filling with tears. His father only laughed mercilessly, the stench of alcohol rolling off his breath, causing Yami to flinch. The hand around his neck tightened painfully, and Yami's struggles started intensifying before slowly dying down from lack of air. Eyes hazy, the boy looked up sadly at the man who had once been so kind. The man who had once looked at him so adoringly, so lovingly._

_But that man was gone now, replaced with this drunken…monster. Yami's head was spinning from the lack of oxygen to his brain, and right before he passed out, he managed to choke out a few more words,_

"_Please Papa…you're hurting me!"_

Yami snapped back into reality as the memory faded, finding himself staring into large and frightened amethyst orbs. Eye's widening at the threatening position he was holding the boy in, he instantly pulled away his hand, and Yugi, surprised, slid down the wall and fell to the ground with a 'thump'.

Amethyst met ruby, and time seemed to freeze. The knife slid from Yami's hand and fell to the ground with a 'clink'.

"I…I'm sorry," was all Yami managed to force out before he bolted into the bathroom, slamming the door so hard behind him that the hinges shook.

* * *

(A/N: /dodges pointy, heavy, and sharp objects, plus a few tomatoes/ WAIT! YOU HAVE TO FINISH THE CHAPTER FIRST! /shields herself with her arms/)

* * *

Jou walked down the corridor towards his room, constantly glancing from left to right just in case any weirdos decided to jump out at him from behind their doors. In his time in the asylum, he had learned quickly not to trust just anybody. As he turned the corner, he almost ran straight into somebody.

"Ow! Hey, watch where you're goin' you…you…" Jou's insult died in his mouth as he recognized the person he had bumped into. Seto Kaiba gazed back down at him with amused blue eyes, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"Why hello, Katsuya," the brunette purred, eyes glinting. "Fancy seeing you here."

It took the blonde a moment to realize that the handsome man in front of him was talking, and when he did, he tore his gaze away from the other's cerulean blue eyes.

"I-I-I, well, HEL-LO? This is where my room is!" he exclaimed unnecessarily loudly, morphing his face into a scowl. "And you! Why the hell are you here, anyways? Shouldn't be in your office doin', I dunno, doctor stuff?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes in exasperation, before replying with a smirk, "Actually, I came to find you."

Jou blinked. "Wh-what?" he said stupidly. Kaiba only chuckled infuriatingly. "Why were you looking fer me?" Jou quickly asked, attempting to spare himself even more humiliation. At this, Kaiba stopped chuckling.

"What? I can't even stop by to visit you?" he asked, suddenly seeming a lot more serious. Jou cocked his head to the side, trying to decide whether or not it was a trick question.

"Why the hell would ya wanna visit me?" he finally asked suspiciously. The corner's of Kaiba's mouth curved upward in yet another smirk, and he started to walk past Jou, stopping to put a hand on his cheek and turning his head towards him.

"I just wanted to see you," he whispered, before letting go of the other's face and walking off.

Jounouchi Katsuya stood in the hallway for several moments, just staring at the young doctor's retreating figure until he rounded the corner. Then, the blonde slowly raised his hand and put it to his cheek, where Kaiba had touched him. A goofy, dog-like grin covered his face as he turned around and continued to his room, whistling a merry tune.

* * *

Yami wouldn't come out of the bathroom no matter how much Yugi begged and pleaded. He just sat on the toilet, knees once again drawn up to his chest, dead-looking red eyes boring a hole in the opposite wall. Yugi's cries and encouragement for him to come out fell on deaf ears, as the elder's mind went almost completely blank. All he could think about was how close he was to killing the one person who ever understood him, who ever had the courage to befriend him. The first and last friend he would ever have during his stay at the madhouse.

The doctors' words once again invaded Yami's mind. _Unstable…insane…dangerous…a freak._ Those were all traits that described _him_, and he'dbe damned if he exposed Yugi to such a dangerous persona. Yugi was different from the others. Yugi had tried to understand him, to get to know him. And because of this, Yami cared about Yugi like he had never cared about anybody else before.

Yes…he would protect Yugi at all costs. Even if it meant putting more cracks in his already damaged, fragile heart (1)…Yami would protect Yugi. Even from himself.

No matter how much it hurt.

* * *

Yugi spent the better part of an hour banging on the bathroom door, pleading for his ruby-eyed roommate to come out and talk to him. His efforts, however, were **of **no avail, as he never received a reply. The other side of the door was deathly silent, and if not for the fact that he hadn't heard the mirror crack, or the thump of a body hitting the floor, or blood seeping out from under the door, Yugi would have assumed Yami had done something drastic.

The buzzer had buzzed almost half an hour ago, and Yugi knew that dinner had already started. But no matter; he would gladly give up a night's worth of food to help Yami out of this predicament, whatever it was. What had happened while he was gone? Yugi cursed at himself for taking away his suitcase; if he hadn't, this whole thing would never have happened.

Sucking on his bruised knuckles, Yugi returned to his cot, where he sat, trying to think of various ways to get Yami out of the bathroom. Or get himself in. Whichever came first. His first thought was that he could bang down the door, but somebody his stature had little to no chance of doing that without help. Talking to the young man definitely hadn't worked either. What else could he do…?

A knock on the door disturbed him from his thoughts, and Yugi slowly got up and opened the heavy piece of metal, coming face to face with a slender guard with long silky black hair.

"Dinner for patient number 265," he said in a monotonous voice, and Yugi concluded that this must be how Yami got his meals every day.

"Um, thanks," he said, taking the tray. The guard looked down at him curiously.

"You're not Number 265," he stated obviously. "Shouldn't you be at dinner?"

"Uh, I'm not feeling too well," Yugi made up quickly, glancing back at the still closed bathroom door. "I'll just pass this on to Yami then. Arigatou!" And, feeling rather guilty for lying, he slammed the door in the guard's face.

Yugi brought the tray to Yami's bedside and set it gently on the cot, grimacing at its contents. A bowl of some unrecognizable goo and a piece of stale bread. Frankly, Yugi couldn't really blame Yami for being bitter all the time. Suddenly, his own stomach grumbled, and Yugi put a hand to it sadly. He sure was hungry. His eyes strayed back to the tray on Yami's bed. No, he couldn't take Yami's food! That would be plain rude…and besides, none of it looked very appetizing anyway. Stomach still churning queasily, Yugi returned to his cot and lay back, staring at the ceiling.

A while later, there was another knock on the door. Jolted awake from his nap, Yugi got up grumbling, glancing dejectedly at Yami's empty bed and untouched tray of food. Yawning, he opened the door again to find himself face to face with…

"Surprise!"

Yugi blinked and rubbed his eyes, wondering if the lack of food had gotten to his head. In front of him stood none other than Malik, Ryou, Jou, Bakura, and Marik, all grinning cheekily down at him.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, glancing nervously back at the bathroom door.

"You missed dinner, so we got worried," Ryou admitted. "Malik here suggested we come visit you. That is, uh, if that's okay with, um, you-know-who."

"Oh, it's alright, come in, come in," Yugi said hurriedly opening the door wider and letting the five in. Bakura, Marik, and Malik quickly scanned the room, and Yugi had a feeling he knew what—or rather, _who_—they were looking for.

"Where's Yami?" Bakura asked Yugi. The latter sighed sadly.

"He's locked himself up in the bathroom and won't come out," he replied, bending down to pick up the knife that his roommate had dropped earlier. Bakura instinctively reached for the sharp blade, eyes glinting. Yugi backed away nervously, as Ryou scolded the albino.

"Why'd he lock 'imself up, Yug'?" Jou asked, lounging on his friend's cot. "And what's with the knife? I thought we weren't allowed to keep sharp objects."

"It's Yami's," Yugi answered, sliding the knife back under said person's pillow. In doing so, he moved his face into the light of a small lamp, which enhanced the appearance of the cut on his face.

"Yugi!" Malik exclaimed, noticing the cut. "He didn't--?!"

It took Yugi a moment to realize his mistake. "What? Oh, this!" he laughed nervously. "It was nothing guys, really. It's only a scratch."

"Dat bastard attacked you, didn't he?" Jou fumed, catching on. "Ooh, when I get my hands on 'im—"

"NO!" Yugi shouted, and everybody froze in surprise. Yugi blushed at his exclamation, before regaining himself. "Don't hurt him. He's feeling really guilty right now, and it really is only a scratch. The knife barely touched me." The others still didn't look convinced, and Yugi clapped a hand to his forehead in exasperation. "I guess I'd better explain…"

And so Yugi told his friends about how he and Yami had had a disagreement about his parents two weeks before, and how today he had used his suitcase to carry his clothes, and how Yami had apparently woken up from a nap to find his suitcase gone, and had assumed he had left. He left out the part about Yami pinning him to the wall and threatening him, but he did say that Yami had thrown the knife and barely missed. Finally, he finished with how Yami had seemed horrified with what he had tried to do, and had locked himself up in the bathroom.

"I think he was just confused," Yugi said finally, looking down at his hands. "He seems to have had a really hard time here at the asylum, and possibly even before that. I'm trying to understand him better…but he just won't let me in."

Up until now, Marik had been silent since entering the room, but he had seemed to be in deep thought, which, Bakura commented, was a first. Unusually serious, Marik looked up at Yugi.

"How long did you say Yami had been here?" he asked. Yugi paused for a moment, before answering,

"I'm guessing about ten years, considering most of his childhood memories that he HAS shared with me seemed to go no farther than age eight. Why?"

"Hmmm…" Marik said. "And is 'Yami' his real name? Seems like a strange thing to call your kid."

"Um…" to this Yugi had no answer. "I guess not. But he never did tell me what his real name was or is."

"And you say he's Egyptian…and that he gets touchy about the subject of his parents," Marik finished, staring at Yugi with deep lavender eyes. Yugi nodded, still not following what was going on.

A few moments of silence passed, while everybody stared at Marik, not bothering to hide their surprise at their friend's unusual bout of solemnity. Finally, the tanned youth snapped his fingers and got up from the cot, making his way towards the bathroom door, and banging on it with his fist.

"YAMI! GET OUT HERE!" he bellowed. Bakura hurried up towards him and tried to pull him back.

"What the hell are you doing, Marik?" he snarled. "This guy's mentally unstable, remember?"

"Oh, like you aren't?" Marik retorted, before turning back to the door. "IF YOU DON'T COME OUT HERE RIGHT NOW YAMI I'M BANGING DOWN THE DOOR!"

"Marik, please stop!" Ryou begged, while Malik, Jou, and Yugi looked on in horror. Yugi especially was afraid; his hands were covering his mouth, and his eyes were wide with fear. What if Yami hurt them?

"If you don't come out right now, I'm…gonna strangle Yugi!" Marik said, and everybody gasped in surprise. Marik looked pointedly at Yugi, who, without thinking, immediately cried out,

"Help! Yami, help!"

The door slammed open so fast that it was almost ripped off his hinges. Furious blood-colored eyes met smug lavender, while russet-colored ones widened in shock (2).

"It's _you_!"

* * *

Dr. Shadi rifled through the latest reports on patient behavior. It was important that he kept track of how the patients were doing in the asylum. One missed dose of this, and one extra dose of that could result in disastrous consequences, usually resulting in said patient needing to be sedated, or worse yet sent to infirmary for over-dose. Fortunately, nothing too serious seemed to have happened this past month. The Egyptian's eyes landed on a bright red folder labeled '265 – Atemu Khemet', and he opened it hesitantly, expecting to see yet another list of attempted escapes and injured guards.

Blue eyes widened in surprise at the list. Or rather, lack thereof. It was reported that no out-of-control behavior had occurred in Room 666 since July 21st. July 21st…something about that date seemed to ring a bell. Suddenly, it was as if an invisible light-bulb lit up in his brain, and Shadi quickly dug through the previously looked at files, until he found the one he was looking for.

'_423 – Yugi Mutou' _

Shadi rifled through the papers into the file until he found the one he was looking for. Scanning the document quickly, the doctor finally found the sentence he was looking for.

'_Date of Arrival: July 21__st_'

"Interesting…" Shadi murmured to himself. "Very interesting…"

* * *

(1) Is Yami too attached to Yugi for knowing him for such a short time? I just noticed this after Tavi pointed it out after betaing, but I was too lazy to add to the suggestion. So..._-rifles through excuse files-..._um...let's just say that...he's been alone for too long, 'kay? And...uh..._-scans file-_...he's just starving for some...affection, which Yugi so kindly gave him before they had that stupid little argument that I made up. xD

(2) Bakura's eyes are russet. I just thought that color would seem more unique and descriptive than just 'dark brown'.

**Darkie: **_-sweatdrops- _Eh heh...please review?

**Yami: **_-eye twitches- _O__e

**Yugi: **_-eyes wide- _O__O

**Darkie: **_-gulps nervously- _Um...I think I'll go now..._-edges away slowly- _

**Malik: **_-looks at reviews- _Wow! 96 reviews Darkie! Just four more and you'll make to a hundred, and it's only the fourth chapter!

**Darkie: **_-temporarily forgets that her soul is in danger of being mind-crushed by Yami- _Yay! _-squeals and glomps readers- _Thank yous!!!

**Marik: **_-looks at story stats- _Dude, this thing has 69 alerts...so we'll be expecting about that many reviews next chapter...or else..._-cracks knuckles menacingly- _

**Ryou: **Don't scare away the readers! If they don't want to review than they don't have to!

**Marik: **You're the one who's always talking about being polite! So all I'm doing is encouraging the readers to BE POLITE and REVIEW!

**Ryou: **_-facepalm- _

**Bakura: **He does have a point.

**Ryou: **Not you too!


	5. Chapter 5

**Darkie: **See Bakura? I TOLD you I'd post this too!

**Bakura: **Yeah, yeah, whatever, just get on with the story. I want my Tendershipping moment!

**Darkie:**...there is no Tendershipping moment.

**Bakura: **WHAT?! YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE!

**Darkie: **I said in the NEXT CHAPTER, YOU DIPSHIT!!!

**Disclaimer: **Me no own shit.

**Warning: **This chapter has not been beta'd. Higher risk of mental scarring. You have been warned.

Congratulations to lloyd-forever, our 100th reviewer!

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

Yugi stared at the scene before him in confusion, as Bakura and Marik stared at Yami as though he had sprouted wings, horns, and a spiked tail. What really threw Yugi through the loop, however, was Bakura's exclamation.

"_It's _you_!"_

Did Bakura know Yami? Did Marik? With all these questions whizzing about in his head, Yugi could only sit on his cot and watch while the look in Yami's eyes quickly turned from anger to confusion, and then to…fear? His hands were twitching violently, as though they were feeling vulnerable without the handle of the knife in their grasp. The thought of what other things Yami could have done with the knife flashed quickly through Yugi's mind, before he quickly shook it away; he had more pressing matters to attend to right now.

"Atemu!" Bakura exclaimed. At first Yugi wondered who Bakura was addressing, before he remembered that Yami wasn't the devil boy's real name. Yami, or rather, Atemu, flinched quite noticeably at the name that came out of the albino boy's mouth.

"Where have you been all these years?" Marik asked. "The last we heard, you were sent away for—mmph!"

Bakura had quickly slapped a hand over the Egyptian's mouth, giving the latter a warning glance. Yugi noticed that Ya-Atemu had not moved since reentering the room, and that as of now all eyes were on him. Jou was gaping at him, eyes wide, while Malik and Ryou looked on, shoulders tense. Atemu was visibly shaking, though out of fear, anger, or shock Yugi couldn't tell. But what he _could_ see was that Atemu seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and Yugi's instincts told him that it wouldn't be good to have him break down with several other people in the room.

"Yami?" he called softly. Blood-red eyes shifted over to look at him, and Yugi couldn't help but shift uncomfortably. "Do you know these two?"

The youth looked down at his feet, before glancing up at Bakura and Marik, then back to Yugi. He nodded, before shaking his head in an irritable manner, as though trying to shake off a fly. His gaze strengthened, and Yugi relaxed, knowing that the initial shock of seeing two people he probably hadn't seen in a long time had worn off.

Bakura and Marik couldn't help but take a simultaneous step back as Atemu raised his head to look at him with burning red eyes, and Yugi for one couldn't blame them. The next words that came out of the tanned teen's mouth, however, confused him.

"Well?" Bakura and Marik stared at their old…friend? in confusion. Apparently then were just as confused as the others as to the question Atemu had posed.

"Well what?" Marik asked, cocking his head to the side. Atemu's eyes flashed angrily.

"Why are you here?" he asked harshly. Bakura and Marik looked at each other sheepishly, and the angry look in ruby red orbs quickly morphed into amusement. "The teachers finally got fed up with you two?"

"You can say that," Bakura shrugged nonchalantly, before his eyes narrowed. "But we haven't seen you in over a decade! We've heard rumors, of course, but we didn't exactly believe them at the time." Atemu's gaze quickly darkened, and his mouth turned downwards in a scowl.

"Were the rumors true? Did you really…" Marik trailed off, glancing around nervously, aware that there were other people in the room who had no idea what was going on. Yugi could see Atemu's fists clenching and unclenching, and that his muscles were tense. Those gorgeous red eyes were narrowed into slits, as a grimace slowly made its way onto their owner's face.

"Depends on what you heard," Atemu hissed. Bakura and Marik flinched involuntarily, and shot nervous looks at their audience. Bakura pulled on his collar.

"Well, uh…look, do you really want to bring this up in front of these guys?" he asked. Atemu finally seemed to notice that they had an audience, and the fire in his eyes seemed to dim. His shoulders sagged, and he shot Yugi a sad glance, as though remembering the events that lead to him locking himself in the bathroom in the first place. Yugi noticed the way Yami's irises traced the line of the cut on his cheek, and flashed him a reassuring smile. This did not seem to consol the boy much, however, as he turned away, going over to lie on his cot.

Yugi held in an exasperated sigh. This was going to take some time.

Meanwhile, Malik had casually taken out a battered deck of playing cards. Shuffling them in his hands, he looked around at the other occupants of the room and smiled widely. Too widely.

"Anyone up for a game of Go Fish?"

* * *

It was about ten minutes to lights out when the group finally stopped playing. Though he had had more fun than he had ever had in his life, Yugi couldn't help but notice that Atemu had made no move to join them, instead proceeding to burn a hole in the wall with his gaze, and that the rest of the group kept shooting him wary glances. It was a relief when Ryou had finally fallen asleep on the spot, causing Bakura and immediately jump up and proclaim the game's end.

Thoroughly worn and sleepy, Yugi quickly undressed and collapsed onto his bed in his starry pajamas, and was asleep within minutes.

Across the room, Atemu shifted onto his back, hands behind his head, ruby-colored eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

* * *

_The day was sunny and cloudless, a fact that Yugi noted happily as he walked down the sidewalk with a spring in his step. School had been kind to him today; his last period teacher had let the class out early, giving Yugi plenty of time to gather his things and get off the campus long before the bullies had even gotten to their lockers._

The weather sure is nice today,_ he thought, taking a deep breath and inhaling the sweet sent of autumn. As he continued on his way, however, he noticed that the sky seemed to be getting darker, and the light dimmer. Confused, he looked behind him at the bright sun and blue sky, then in front of him at the dark and dank street he was walking on. It was as if the neighborhood had been split in half, one side light and the other dark. _

_A sense of dread gradually filled Yugi as he made his way home, trying to ignore the ever darkening street. As he reached the next turn, the feeling had grown to an alarming height, and he stopped dead in this tracks, almost afraid to turn the corner and walk the last block or so home. Something was wrong…something was terribly wrong._

You're just being silly,_ he thought to himself. _Nothing's wrong.

_Taking a deep breath, he turned the corner, and dropped his books in horror. The house he, his parents, and Rebecca lived in was in flames. Bright orange and blue tendrils reached for the sky, as copious amounts of smoke messed up his vision and caused him to cough. Ignoring all this, Yugi ran up to the front door, only to jump back with a yelp as the doorknob burned his hand. He ran to the back door instead, which was unlocked, and kicked it open, before entering the smoke-filled house._

"_Kaa-san! Tou-san! Rebecca!" he called out. Coughing and spluttering, he made his way into the living room, where he was met with a terrible sight. The bodies of his parents lay on the ground, burnt almost beyond recognition. The only way Yugi knew it was them was from the square spectacles lying by his dad's motionless form, while the apron his mom always wore was still burning on her body. Crying out in anguish, he was about to make his way towards them when he heard a childish scream. His head snapped up, and turned towards the stairs. _Rebecca_…_

_Moving faster than he'd ever thought possible, Yugi somehow made it onto the second landing and into his adoptive sister's room. Watery amethyst eyes looked around the room warily, before catching sight of…oh _Kami-sama_. _

"_Rebecca!" he cried out, rushing over to his sister's splayed out form. Half of her body was on fire, and she lifted a soot-stained face, bright blue eyes shining through the blackness around it. _

"Aniki_…" she rasped out, her vocal chords already having been damaged by the smoke and ash. "_Aniki_, you must get out of here."_

"_Not without you!" Yugi retorted, but he knew his words were in vain. His sister was almost completely covered in flames, and the acrid smell of burning hair filled his nostrils as Rebecca's pretty blonde locks turned darker and shorter. "Rebecca!"_

_She didn't answer. _

"_Rebecca? Rebecca! REBECCA!!!"_

* * *

"Rebecca…REBECCA!"

"For Ra's sake, snap out of it!"

Something slapped him in the face. Hard. Yugi shot up from his bed, looking around wildly, his body covered in a layer of cold sweat. Rubbing his stinging cheek, he looked up and found himself face-to-face with a pair of blood red eyes. Yami, no, _Atemu_ was looking at him with an expression akin to worry.

"Are you quite finished?" he asked wryly, seemingly uncaring, though Yugi could see the haunted look in his eyes. He flushed in embarrassment; what must Atemu think of him now, getting all worked up over a simple nightmare?

"_H-hai_," Yugi replied shakily. A funny look crossed Atemu's face.

"Care to talk about it?" he asked gruffly, averting his gaze. Yugi looked at the young man in surprise, which quickly turned into amusement. He jabbed the other playfully with his elbow.

"What gives _you_ the right to act as if you're my psychologist?" he teased. Altogether, the atmosphere of the room seemed to lift, and Yugi could almost physically feel a heavy weight disappear from his shoulders. Atemu turned to look at him, smiling sheepishly at the irony of the situation. Yugi decided that he liked it when Atemu smiled.

"I suppose I _don't_ have that right," he admitted. "But that doesn't mean you should keep it bottled up."

"Hypocrite," Yugi muttered to himself. Atemu apparently heard, him, however, and chuckled. It was a deep, rich sound, one Yugi was sure nobody had heard in a long time.

"Ah, but you must remember, _Yuugi_," he replied, once again elongating the 'u' in Yugi's name, causing the younger to blush bright red. Thank goodness it was dark…"I have had no one to talk to in a long time." His tone seemed to darken all of a sudden, and Yugi shot a glance up towards his elder's face. Those twin pools of ruby seemed to carry eons of loneliness and solitude, and with a shiver Yugi noticed once again that small glint of insanity there as well.

"So who's Rebecca?" he asked suddenly, and Yugi quickly averted his gaze, blushing once again at being caught staring.

"Sh-she was like a little sister to me," he said softly. Atemu cocked his head in confusion.

"_Like_ a sister?" he asked. Yugi nodded.

"She was the granddaughter of a friend of my parents, and when he passed away we took her in and raised her like she was family," he explained, eyes stinging. "She…she was the only one who really listened…my only friend."

Yugi sniffed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. Great, now he was crying. The dark-skinned youth in front of him must think he was a real wimp. Wasn't he supposed to have gotten over this ages ago? That's what he was sent here for in the first place, after all. Suddenly, Yugi felt a pair of strong, lithe arms wrap around his body, and a chin rested on his shoulder. Atemu was…hugging him?

"A-Atemu…" Yugi said in surprise, and the arms around him tightened reassuringly.

"_Iie_, call me 'Yami'," he replied softly, his breath ghosting over Yugi's neck and shoulders. "Darkness was the only thing I've ever known I my life…my birth name just doesn't sound right anymore."

"_H-hai_ Ate—Yami," Yugi corrected hastily, relaxing into the older one's embrace. Mmm…this was nice…It was then he realized that Atemu had yet to apologize for the 'incident' earlier, but Yugi also realized that he didn't need to. Whether he was aware of it or not, he had already forgiven the boy…it was hard for Yugi to hold a grudge for long, and he definitely didn't want to spend the rest of his time here with a wedge between him and Yami.

Yugi mentally shook the thoughts from his head. This wasn't the time to think about that right now…right now, he just wanted to close his eyes and enjoy the moment. Yami's arms felt so strong and safe…

Unconsciously, Yugi lifted his arms and returned the hug, laying his head on Yami's shoulders.

* * *

**Darkie: **Eh heh...did I mention that I'm REEEAALLLY bad at writing fluff? Not that that would count as fluff...

**Yami: **You don't say...

**Darkie: **Please review! ^^ Is it just me or is my writing getting suckier and suckier?

I also posted a new story, _Everybody's Fool_! Read at your own risk!


	6. Chapter 6

**Darkie: **Um...hello...it's been a while, hasn't it? _-scratches head sheepishly- _

**Bakura: **WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU _BEEN_, WOMAN?!?!

**Darkie: **Eep! Well...you see..._-starts talking really fast- _My-plot-bunny-wouldn't-cooperate-so-I-was-chasing-it-around-and-it-crashed-into-the-wall-and-knocked-itself-out. Then-all-the-other- plot-bunnies-got-out-of-their-cages-and-escaped. After-a-week-I-managed-to-track-them-down-in-the-Amazon-forest-so-then-I-had-to-go-all-the-way-over-there-to-find-them. Naturally- they-wouldn't-come-peacefully-so-I-had-to-use-tons-of-sedative-on-them-and-they-were-knocked-out-for-several-days. They-just-woke-up-a-while-ago.

**Bakura: **..._-is looking murderous-_

**Darkie: **Eep! Well, anyways guys, turns out this story won't be as long as I had originally planned it to be. I originally wanted it to be huge, like, twenty chapters. But now, It's only going to be like twelve...maybe fifteen. It all depends on how fast I fill in all the plot holes. xD

**Disclaimer: **Me no own shit.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Six**

* * *

_December 25, 2005_

_Rebecca squealed in delight when she unwrapped her present to reveal a large stuffed bear. Hugging it to her chest, she gazed up at Yugi adoringly, blue eyes shining._

"_It's wonderful! Arigatou, Aniki!" she exclaimed. Yugi smiled, glad that he had made her happy. "But you still have to open your present, Yugi!" Rebecca whined adorably, pushing the box towards her friend. _

_With quick fingers, Yugi quickly untied the bow and gingerly tore off the wrapping paper; he liked to save it. Gasping in delight, he picked up the large and leather-bound photo album. With trembling fingers he flipped over the cover and was met with a picture of him and Rebecca at Domino WaterWorld. The picture had been surrounded by childish heart-shaped scrawls which Yugi knew Rebecca must have done herself. Dropping the album, he hugged her close._

"_It's beautiful, Rebecca," he said. "Arigatou!" Turning to his parents and Professor Hawkins, he flashed a radiant smile which they returned. _

"_Merry Christmas, one and all!"_

Yugi finished his tale, and Ishizu scribbled something on her clipboard. He didn't need her to say anything to know that he was improving greatly; he could tell from the satisfied and genuine smile pulling at the corners of her normally stoic lips. He had been at the _Shuuyoujo_ for over a month now, and over that time, his nightmares had gradually lessened, to as little as once a week. They had also become gradually less dark, and before long they weren't nightmares any longer. Instead, Yugi found himself dreaming of what life was like before the fire. He would come home from school to be greeted by a smiling mother and a perky Rebecca, and they would have fun as though they hadn't a care in the world.

But those days were over now, and Yugi usually woke up crying in the middle of the night after waking up from one of those dreams. Though they were no longer the grisly nightmares he had once endured, they were even worse in a way. They reminded him of all the things he had lost. No more would he ever see his mother and father smiling across the table at him during dinner. No more would he be greeted by a tackle-glomp from Rebecca every day after school.

It was almost too much to bear.

Soon after the nightmares had become dreams, Yugi had found comfort in Yami. Yami was always there for him when he woke up with tears streaming down his face each night. He was always there to hold him, to whisper in his ear that everything was alright. And each time, Yugi would cling to Yami as if his life depended on it, slowly dozing off at Yami's rocking motions.

Yugi smiled happily as he made his way down to dinner. He had soon learned not to be so frightened in the asylum. No one would hurt him here, after all. And if they tried, he knew that Marik, Bakura, and Jou were more than capable enough to handle it for him. Though at first he felt bad for 'using' them as though they were bodyguards, they insisted otherwise, stating that they had done the same for Ryou and Malik before Yugi had arrived. Yugi had learned not to argue with them. Those three were unbeatable when they worked together, however rarely that may be.

"Hey Yugi!"

Said person turned to see Ryou sprinting towards him from up the hall. Yugi stopped to let him catch up, and soon, the albino was standing before him, doubled over and panting, pink flushing his pale cheeks. Strange, it shouldn't have taken _that_ much effort to run down the hall.

"Sorry," Ryou apologized meekly. "I've always been rather weak when it comes to physical exercise."

"Join the club," Yugi replied humorously, and Ryou laughed. It was true; Yugi was always last to finish during field time. Even farther behind than Ryou, though Yugi stubbornly told himself it was because the latter had longer legs.

Together, they proceeded to walk the rest of the way down the hall towards the stairs that led to the ground floor. On the way, Yugi noticed that Ryou seemed rather preoccupied, and that his eyes were downcast. He appeared to be in deep thought.

"Something bothering you, Ryou?" Yugi asked curiously. Ryou's head snapped up, and a flush adorns his cheeks at being caught zoning out.

"Oh! It's nothing really, Yugi, I just…" Ryou trailed off when he caught sight of Yugi's disbelieving look, and he slumps his shoulders, giving in. "It's just…what do you think of Bakura?"

The question surprises Yugi. "Bakura? Bakura Dorobou?" he asks stupidly in reply. In his head, he berates himself. _Stupid, of _course_ it's Bakura Dorobou! How many other Bakuras do you know?_ Ryou simply nods. Yugi struggles to find an answer to his question.

"Uh, well, he's okay, I guess," he stammers out weakly.

"But what do you think of him?" Ryou pressed. "You know, character-wise?"

"He's a bit rough," Yugi admitted. "Kind of hard. But I suppose he's nice when he wants to be, which really isn't that often."

"Hmmm," was Ryou's only response, and Yugi saw that he had ducked his head again, gazing at his walking feet. A soft blush graces his cheeks again, and Yugi had a startling suspicion.

"Do you…like him?" he questioned. Ryou is so surprised that he jumps about a foot in the air, before glancing around nervously and wringing his hands, stammering.

"O-of c-course I l-like him!" he replied hastily, his voice raising an octave. "Wh-why wouldn't I? He's our friend!"

"You know what I mean, Ryou," Yugi said with a cheeky grin; he had his friend cornered, and Ryou knew it. "Do you like _like_ him?"

"I…I…oh, for the love of Kami, I _do _like him, okay?!" Ryou admits, face turning a red to rival Yami's eyes. "I don't know, he's just so..._kind_ to me. It may just be wishful thinking, but I do believe he's nicer to me than anyone else in our group. Do you think so?" He turns to Yugi, hope shining his doe-brown eyes, which just _pleaded_ the latter to say 'yes'.

"Well, he's not very nice to anyone else," Yugi said matter-of-factly. Ryou's shoulders begin to slump again, but Yugi quickly adds, "But I _do _notice him staring at you from time to time. Maybe he feels the same way."

Ryou straightens up at this, tugging on the collar of his shirt nervously. "You think so?" he asks, unconvinced. "What could he see in someone like me? I'm just a nobody."

Yugi rolled his eyes. "You're not a nobody, Ryou," he stated firmly. "And I know you wanted me to say 'yes', so why are you trying to contradict me? You're just putting yourself down."

"I know, Yugi, I know!" Ryou said desperately. "It's just that…" he sighed. "Well, I guess I'll never know."

"Not necessarily," Yugi said. "You could try. Even if he doesn't feel the same way now, you could try, I dunno, _pushing_ him in the right direction. Talk to him some more."

Ryou seemed to brighten at the idea. "You think so?" he asked hopefully. Yugi nodded.

The rest of the way to the cafeteria, Ryou walked with a new spring in his step and a gleam of determination in his eyes.

* * *

A/N: **Bakura: **WHAT?! _THAT'S _MY TENDERSHIPPING MOMENT?! I'M NOT EVEN IN IT!! **Darkie: **_-drags Bakura off the set- _Stop interrupting the story!

* * *

After dinner, the group hug out in the Rec Room, and Yugi watched in amusement from his spot on the couch as Jou and Malik started another argument. He tried to remember what had started the argument in the first place. Something about…seashells? Shaking his head, Yugi turned it to see Bakura and Ryou sitting on floor cushions near the other side of the room. The latter was chatting animatedly about something or the other to the former, and Yugi noted with amusement that Bakura seemed baffled at Ryou's sudden boldness. Nevertheless, Yugi also caught a gleam of happiness underneath that cold mask he wears in front of his eyes. It seemed they were both enjoying themselves very much.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yugi spied a flash of white. Dr. Kaiba was standing near the entrance of the room, appearing to be supervising and making sure nothing goes amiss. Though Yugi couldn't help but notice that the brunette's blue-eyed gaze was trained on one person in particular: a certain loud-mouthed blonde who was looking as though he wanted to murder his Egyptian friend. Speaking of Egyptians…

Marik was staring at Malik with what Yugi could only describe as hunger in his eyes. Those pupil-less lavender eyes, which had always caused a shiver to go down Yugi's spine, were trained on Malik's handsome facial features, as they twisted and contorted with the strength of his argument with Jou.

Yugi sighed. Everybody seemed to have somebody to love. He was starting to feel rather left out. Would he ever find someone someday? Instantly his thoughts drifted over to Yami. That beautifully sculptured face, those long lashes framing that pair of piercing red eyes, those full and undoubtedly soft lips. Yugi groaned, pressing a cushion against his face. Now was not the time to be thinking about his roommate. Not now, not ever. Yami was a permanent resident here, and Yugi would be going home in no more than a couple weeks time. It was downright foolish to be thinking of such things now.

He wondered what Yami's lips would taste like…ARGH! No no no! Yugi shut his eyes tight, trying to rid himself of the mental images zooming through his head, which were steadily become far beyond x-rated. _Okay, seriously Yugi_, he told himself. That's enough.

…

I said, that's _enough_!

…

ARGH!

Blushing furiously, Yugi sat up abruptly, startling Jou and Malik out of their argument. Wait, no, it wasn't his sitting up that stopped them. Yugi had accidentally said 'ARGH' out loud. Whoops.

"Er…does anyone wanna play Go Fish?" he asked hastily, saying the first thing that came to mind. Before anyone could answer him, however, a voice cut through the room.

"Yugi Mutou!"

Dr. Shadi was standing at the doorway, a piece of paper in his hand. Yugi got up as though in slow motion, and made his way through the crowd towards the bald Egyptian. Shadi handed him the piece of paper he was holding. Unfolding it, Yugi read the paper, before reading again to make sure he had read it right the first time.

Yugi's mouth went dry. It seemed too good to be true.

..It _was_ good…right?

Numbly, Yugi looked up at Dr. Shadi, who had an unreadable expression in his eyes. If Yugi hadn't known better, he would have said that Shadi was _worried_. Worried about what? Shrugging it off, Yugi quickly thanked the man and made his way back to his friends, clutching the slip of paper tightly between his hands.

"Hey, Yug', what was dat about?" Jou asked. "What you got there?"

"It's nothing," Yugi lied smoothly. "Just something Ishizu sent me about an extra appointment tonight. I'd better go."

With that, he turned around and left the room, leaving his friends staring after him in bewilderment.

* * *

Yami flicked his wrist in a quick motion, and the knife imbedded itself on the opposite wall, in the center of the various other gouges it had put there. As usual, the dark teen was bored. He wanted Yugi to hurry up and get back so that they could talk.

Over the past few weeks, Yugi had been teaching Yami about how life was like now. Technology had greatly advanced since Yami had been imprisoned, but the crimson-eyed teen wasn't going to let that stop him from learning as much as he can. Yugi told him many things. He told him about amusement parks and all the rides they had. He told him about middle school and high school, both of which Yami had never had the chance to go to, having still been in primary school when he had been 'taken'.

In truth, however, Yami had become less and less interested in what Yugi had to say, instead focusing his attention on the boy's voice. It was light and innocent, and Yami believe that if there were such things as angels, their voices would still never come close to Yugi's. His voice was high for a boy, but masculine all the same. Just like an angel itself. Yami sighed sadly. He knew his feelings for the boy had crossed the boundaries of what was acceptable, but with someone like Yugi, how could he have resisted? The boy was so innocent, so pure. Whereas Yami was dark; tainted. Never had two people been more different.

But didn't Yugi tell him that opposites attract? Or maybe that only applied to magnets…hmm…there's a thought.

Oh, who was he kidding? What he dreamed would never be. Turning over in his cot, Yami thought about his parents. What had happened to them…what he had done. With a jolt, he realized that he hadn't dreamed of them for a long time. Not since that disaster a few weeks prior. Was it because of Yugi? Was the boy somehow keeping the nightmares away? If so, then what would happen when he left? Would Yami once again be set upon by everything he feared, everything he tried so hard to leave behind?

But Yugi wasn't going to leave. Not anytime soon, Yami told himself. Wishful thinking on his part, he was sure. Yugi wasn't even crazy to begin with; he couldn't have much time left here at the asylum. Which meant that Yami was going to milk it for all its worth. He'll cherish every single moment with Yugi. Perhaps, if he was subjected to enough of his little one's light, it would be able to keep the nightmares at bay for a while, even after the boy left. Yes…that made sense, didn't it?

Yami straightened up, preparing himself for Yugi's return. It wouldn't be long now, it was 8:30. His 'milking' would start tonight. He put on a wide smile as the doorknob turned and the object of his desires stepped into the room. The smile soon faded into a frown, however, as Yugi proceeded to his bed, eyes downcast and avoiding his gaze. Something was wrong.

"Yugi? Are you alright?" he asked in concern. Yugi turned and smiled weakly at him, though it didn't reach his eyes. In his hands was a crumpled piece of paper, and Yami's attention was drawn to that next. "What's the paper for?"

"It's my dismissal slip. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon," he replied, voice barely above a whisper.

* * *

**Darkie: **_-cringes and starts to make her way over to the bomb shelter while everybody is still in a stupor- _Would it help that I spewed this whole thing out in one hour?

**Yami: **_-is seemingly unconcerned about the cliffhanger- _Is there going to be a lemon?

**Darkie: **O___O What kind of question is _that_?! _-voice squeaks on the last word-_

**Yami: **But _is _there?!

**Darkie: **_-is flustered-_ I-I-I-NO! OF COURSE NOT!!! _-laughs nervously- _This is rated T, Yami. Not M! _T._

**Yami: **You could up the rating.

**Darkie: **NO! _-is panicking now at the scary looks her readers are giving her-_

**Yami: **_-is angry- _Hey! It's the least you could do after giving us THAT! _-points at ending of chapter- _

**Darkie: **B-b-but...HEY, MISTER, I'M ONLY THIRTEEN, RA-DAMMIT! A-and what would the doctors think about patients er..._engaging in activities_?!

**Yami: **It's your story. What you say goes.

**Darkie: **_-flushes- _EXACTLY! AND WHAT I SAY IS THAT THERE WILL BE NO LEMON!!

**Yami: **_-smirks and points at readers- _What about them?

**Darkie: **..._-bolts for the bomb shelter and locks it with her Shadow-resistant giant padlock- _

**Next Time: **No, there will be no hot and steamy farewell sex. No, there will be NO passionate confessions of undying love. _-readers groAn and 'boo'- _BUT!_ -readers perk up-_ I _may_ grant you all the pleasure of a kiss! Yes, peoples, you heard me, a KISS!

_-readers cheer- _(or at least, I _hope_ you do...)


	7. Chapter 7

**Darkie: **_-is floating around in a happy daze, before...-  
_

_-CONFETTI APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE ALONG WITH BALLOONS AND MUSIC PLAYING LADY GAGA SONGS- _

I'VE PASSED THE 200 REVIEW MARK (and in just six chapters no less)!!! WOOHOOO!!! HUZZAH!!! YIPPEEE!!! YAHOO!!! HURRAY!!! AND WHATEVER ELSE PEOPLE SAY WHEN THEY'RE REALLY, REALLY HAPPY!

Congratulations go to our 200th reviewer: **_empire14_**

And thanks to all who reviewed! You all get cyber cookies! _-passes around platter of cyber cookies to all- _

_-sigh- _The plot bunnies are just running wild! x333

**Disclaimer: **Me no own Yugioh. If me own Yugioh, then me would have Yugioh 10th anniversary movie air in U.S. in the closest Century Cinema theatre tomorrow and every day of the year for fifty years. Plus me would be filthy rich and get free passes to the movie.

**Quote of the Day: **My Lit. teacher gives us a quote by some random person to reflect upon and write about at the beginning of every class. So here's a quote to think about while you read this chapter (even though it really has nothing to do with the chapter itself):

_"Be who you are and say what you want to say, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."_ -- Dr. Seuss

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Seven**

**

* * *

**

Yami felt for a moment as if his heart had stopped beating. Yugi's word's replayed over and over again in his mind, as though Yami was trying to convince himself that they had never been spoken in the first place.

"You're…leaving?" he asked weakly, voice breaking on the last word. "Tomorrow?" That was the part that stung Yami the most. They only had one more night with each other….

Yugi didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes was enough for Yami. The latter shut his eyes tight and covered his face with his hands. He could feel a familiar tremor shoot through his body, and knew that if he didn't pull himself together he would end up hurting Yugi, or worse. The fragile remains of his mind seemed as if they were shooting signals throughout his body, telling him to stop this, to stop Yugi leaving. Through any means necessary.

But a small part of Yami, the part that Yugi had brought out during their nightly conversations, told the larger part that Yugi deserved this. Yugi deserved to go home and be around people he could actually relate to. He didn't want to spend his life talking to someone who hadn't even been outside for ten years! Someone who was as mentally unstable as him, no less. No, Yugi deserved a life, a chance to rebuild what the fire that took his family had broken. He could go out there and _be_ somebody…something that Yami would never be able to do.

Yugi seemed to be waiting for another response from Yami. The crimson-eyed teen quickly gave his head a slight shake to clear it, at the same time taking a deep, calming breath to still his shaking body. He blinked a few times, before looking back up at the only friend he ever had, forcing what he hoped looked like a cheerful smile onto his face.

"Well, congratulations," he said, almost too perkily. Yugi seemed taken aback for a second, and for a moment Yami thought he saw something akin to hurt flash through those amethyst orbs. But it was gone as quickly as it came, and Yami wondered if it had just been his imagination.

"Uh…thanks, Yami," Yugi said quietly. "Good night, then." He began to make his way towards the bathroom to wash up, but a hand on his sleeve stopped him in his tracks. He turned to see Yami staring at him, desperation clear in his eyes, though he tried his best to hide it. Yugi couldn't help but feel guiltily happy that Yami was desperate because of _him._

"Wait…can we…talk…tonight? It's our last chance, after all, and, well—" he broke off, embarrassed, a faint blush dusting his dark complexion. He regained himself almost immediately, though, and continued, "I just…want to make the most of the time we have left."

Yugi stared at him for a moment, and Yami thought he was going to say 'no', and that he needed to turn in early to get a fresh start tomorrow. But instead Yugi's face broke out into a wide grin, and his eyes reclaimed their usual sparkle. He nodded enthusiastically, before disappearing into the bathroom. Yami let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and waited patiently while Yugi brushed his teeth and changed into his pajamas.

When Yugi came out, he surprised Yami by crawling onto Yami's cot to sit beside him, rather than staying on his own like usual. Not that Yami was complaining.

"So…what did you want to talk about?" Yugi asked. Yami paused for a moment, thinking, before a handsome smirk crossed his face.

"Tell me…do you like…games?"

* * *

About two hours later, Yami lay on his bed with his hands behind his head, staring up at the plaster ceiling. He and Yugi had passed the time playing cards with the deck Yugi had swiped from the Rec Room. Yugi had taught Yami how to play games like Black Jack, Poker, and, Yami's favorite, Egyptian War(1). While playing, they had talked and laughed as though there was no tomorrow. Yami smiled wryly at the thought. No tomorrow, eh? If only…

His eyes started to sting, and he wiped at them irritably, grimacing. Maybe spending the night playing games with Yugi had been a bad idea. Now it would be even more painful when the time came for him to leave. But it was over and done now, and Yami would hang onto the memory of this night for what he hoped would be years to come.

Glancing up through the window, Yami caught sight of the full moon once again, its silvery rays shining through the bars and onto Yugi's sleeping form. The little one was curled up into a ball on his cot, his face blank and peaceful, the smallest of pouts on his lips. The blonde bangs hanging over his face fluttered with each breath he took. Yami's heart clenched at the sight that he was surely never to see again.

Sighing, he turned his back to the angelic image and let sleep consume him. He didn't notice that, just before darkness claimed him, his little one gave off a small whimper, kicking slightly at the bed sheets. A single tear rolled down the boy's face, dampening the pillow below.

* * *

Early morning sun shined onto Yami's bed, and the youth stirred slightly, groaning and stretching in an almost feline way. He blinked his blood-red eyes and looked to his right at Yugi's empty bed. He must have gone down to breakfast already….

Suddenly, the events from last night replayed themselves in his head.

"_It's my dismissal slip. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon."_

Yami shot out of bed faster than he ever had in his life. After noticing (with relief) that Yugi's suitcase was still tucked under his cot as usual, he proceeded to freshen himself up for what would undoubtedly be a painful good-bye. Well, for him at least…Yugi probably couldn't wait to get out of here.

After attempting to tame his wild hair, key word being '_attempting'_, Yami finally gave up and reentered the dorm. Sitting down on his cot, he stared out the window at the rising sun.

All that was left to do was wait.

* * *

Yugi was unusually quiet during breakfast, a fact that his friends were quick to note. After ignoring countless questions and queries, Yugi finally decided to 'let the cat out of the bag', as his grandfather would put it.

"I'm to be released today."

The silence that engulfed the table was louder than any scream. Whoever made up the saying 'silence is deafening' must have experienced something similar to this, Yugi thought randomly.

It was Ryou who broke the silence. The young albino smiled brightly, his brown eyes lighting up, and he crushed Yugi in a bear hug.

"Congratulations, Yugi!" he exclaimed, pulling back. Bakura, spurred on by Ryou's example, echoed his praise, and pretty soon the rest of the table did as well. But Yugi wasn't fooled; he could here an underlying meaning in his friend's seemingly kind words. They resented him. They resented him because he had been last to come and first to leave. Yugi tried to push the thought out of his mind for now, however, and put on a bright smile.

"Don't worry guys," he reassured them. "I'll see if Jii-san will let me visit once in a while! I'm sure he'll understand."

Everybody nodded, though Yugi could sense doubt emanating from Malik, Marik, and Bakura. Jou and Ryou, however, had always been closer to Yugi than the others, and believed him wholeheartedly. Or at least, if they didn't, they pretended they did.

"Come on! Since dis is your last day, let's all do somethin' fun!" Jou cried out, and with that he dragged Yugi out of the dining hall, laughing merrily all the way, leaving the rest to follow, shaking their heads in exasperation.

It was honestly one of the best days of Yugi's life. The group spent the entire morning outdoors on the field, playing football with a ball that Bakura had mysteriously conjured up out of nowhere, though Yugi thought that he had spied a boy slightly younger than them sitting under a tree and sniffling. Yugi, to put it mildly, sucked at sports, so he could do little more than sit and watch Jou and Malik argue about who hit the ball out of bounds in amusement. He wasn't fool enough to actually get between those two and try to stop them.

Yugi cheered enthusiastically as Jou ran the ball through the goal on the other side of the field, and politely declined the blonde's offer to sub him in the game. Common sense told the small teen that he'd be eaten alive by the likes of Bakura and Marik the second he stepped onto the field.

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of lunch. Yugi instantly sobered up, knowing that he would leaving soon after the meal. Throughout lunch the others made a noticeably loud attempt to joke and laugh as much as possible, trying to drag Yugi into the conversation. But in reality, Yugi just felt sick. He picked at his food and barely ate anything. After lunch, the group went to the Rec Room to stay out the remainder of Yugi's time.

Halfway through a heated game of Egyptian War, Yugi's name came over the loudspeaker, informing him that his grandfather was waiting out front and to pack his things. Ryou's control seemed to snap, and he launched himself onto Yugi, tears appearing at the corner of his eyes.

"I'll miss you, Yugi," he murmured. "We all will." Then, in a voice so soft only Yugi could here, he said, "Thank you for giving me the courage to be myself around Bakura."

Yugi smiled weakly. "Don't mention it," he whispered back, and the white-haired boy pulled back to stand by Bakura, who wrapped an arm possessively around his waist. To Yugi, he gave a nod, his eyes telling the boy that, though he would never admit it, he would miss him too.

Malik gave him a tentative hug next, followed by Marik, who nearly snapped Yugi's spine with the force of his hug.

"Yugi-chan better visit lots!" he exclaimed. "Otherwise Malik-pretty will be sad, and that makes me sad to see him sad." Malik blushed a fiery red at Marik's obvious nickname, but chose not to comment.

Jou gave Yugi a good-hearted slap on the back, almost knocking the poor teen over.

"You take care of yourself out dere, 'kay Yug'?" he asked jokingly, and Yugi nodded meekly in reply. "Good luck!"

"Good luck to you too, Jou," Yugi said before he could stop himself. Jou cocked his head to the side, confused.

"Why you sayin' good luck to me?" he asked. Yugi shook his head and smiled, preferring to glance sideways at the ever-present Dr. Kaiba, who was once again watching the group from afar. Jou followed his gaze and flushed, looking away quickly. Laughing, Yugi turned and started towards the door, looking back to wave at his friends.

His friends waved back, and Yugi wondered if he would ever see them again.

* * *

Yugi made his way up the stairs and to his room. Unlocking the door, he was met by the sight of a stoic Yami, sitting on his cot with his knees drawn to his chest, staring out the window. Yugi felt an unexpected pang in his heart. Out of all the people he would leave behind, Yami was the one he was most reluctant to part with.

Avoiding the teen's gaze, Yugi busied himself with packing his clothes, going into the bathroom to retrieve his toothbrush and hairbrush. He slid them into a side pocket in his suitcase, before turning to face the person who had become his best friend.

"So, um," Yugi was at a loss for what to say. "I guess…this is good-bye then."

"Yes," Yami murmured, not turning his gaze from the window. Yugi wondered vaguely whether or not Yami's eyes were damaged from staring at the sun for so long. "I suppose this is good-bye."

"I won't forget you," Yugi whispered. Yami's gaze immediately turned onto Yugi, and the latter could practically feel those dark red irises running up and down his body.

"Oh, you'll forget," Yami said softly, almost to himself. "In the end, everybody forgets. And you will too. I'm not worth remembering."

"How can you say that?" Yugi blurted out before he could stop himself. He stammered, regaining himself, blushing at his outburst as Yami stared at him as though he were crazy. "I-I mean, don't ever think that about yourself!" His voice softened. "You're special, Yami. Everybody is. Don't _you_ forget _that._"

A moment of silence, before Yami finally nodded his head wordlessly, and Yugi breathed out a sigh of relief.

"So I guess I'll have to go now," he said, trying to keep the sadness out of his voice. "My grandpa's waiting for me."

So Yugi turned around and made his way to the door, moving deliberately slow. His hand had just barely brushed the doorknob when Yami's voice, sounding surprisingly close, stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait."

Yugi turned around to catch a glimpse of burning crimson eyes, alarmingly close, before a pair of soft, full lips descended on his own. Yugi's eyes widened almost to the size of dinner plates as his brain tried to comprehend what was happening. Yami was kissing him! How many times had he daydreamed about this very moment, this very act? But still, the fact remained that…

Yami.

Was.

Kissing.

Him.

The kiss wasn't the sweet, chaste kiss that Yugi had envisioned, though. Yami's lips pressed against his in an almost desperate manner, needy; wanting, almost, so that he would perhaps be able to take the feeling of the kiss with him to the next life. Yugi's violet orbs slowly slid shut, and his arms let go of his suitcase to wrap themselves around Yami's neck, pulling him even closer. He quickly melted into the kiss (2), and the atmosphere quickly began to heat up, both boys sweating and dying for air, but neither willing to stop because it would mean letting go of the one substantial thing in their lives.

Soon, however, nature exerted its dominance as the two were forced to break apart. Yugi looked up at Yami through blurry eyes, his lips swollen and bruised, his hair a mess. Yami was in equal disarray, staring at him with more emotion in his eyes than Yugi cared to understand. All he knew was that if he were to die now, he would die happy. No, better than that. He would be outright _laughing_ on his way to the next world; that was how high he felt. As though he were on top of the world.

"_Would Yugi Mutou please report to the main lobby. Repeat, would Yugi Mutou please report to the main lobby? You're grandfather is waiting for you."_

The loudspeaker snapped the two out of their trances, and Yugi remembered that he was just about to leave. The sick feeling returned to his stomach, as he looked up into Yami's sad red orbs.

"I have to go now," he said softly, placing his hand back on the handle. Opening the door, he rolled his suitcase out, when a strong but soft hand grasped his wrist. Yugi turned to meet Yami's desperate gaze, the look in his eyes almost breaking the former's heart in two.

"Don't go," Yami pleaded softly, and it was all Yugi could do not to do as Yami said and stay right where he was. But his grandpa was waiting for him, as was the rest of his life, though Yugi knew, deep down, that his life wouldn't be complete without Yami by his side. But his grandpa would never agree, and even if he did, the doctors would never let Yami out of the confines of his prison.

"Good-bye, Yami," Yugi said softly, but with such finality in his tone that Yami could only let his hand drop by his side and watch forlornly as Yugi exited the room, shutting the door behind him.

For a few moments, Yami was at a loss as to what to do. Yugi, the only person who had understood him, the only person who had befriended him, was now gone. To Yami, it seemed all there was left to do was fall to his knees…

…and cry.

* * *

(1) Egyptian War...heh heh...get it? It's Egyptian! Well, actually, I have no idea why it's called that. It's a card game, where players alternately put down cards. Whenever there's a double (two of the same number), you can slap it, and you get the whole pile. Also, if a face card is played, the next player has a certain number of chances in which to get another face card, otherwise the player who put down the face card gets the entire pile. The number of chances (If Jack is put down, 1 chance. Queen: 2 chances. King: 3 chances. Ace: 4 chances). Yeah...it also hurts your hand a LOT if you play with high school boys with huge hands the size of dinner plates. TT_TT Plus I think I did a really bad job of explaining the game.

(2) Seriously, HOW many times has that phrase been used? No, really, I'm serious. IT'S LIKE THE CLASSIC KISSING PHRASE FOR WHEN A PERSON REACTS TO A KISS!!! But I decided that since it was my first time (sort of, not really), I'd try to avoid making up some kind of metaphor or simile that would probably end up sounding totally off and weird.

**Yami: **_-is looking murderous- _DARKIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Darkie: **_-is one step ahead and already safe inside her bomb shelter, preparing for the flames to rain down from the sky like that scene in 2012 where the volcano in Yellowstone National Park blew up and killed the crazy radio dude- _

**Yugi: **I don't think people will flame you for that...

**Darkie: **_-pokes head out- _Still, it doesn't hurt to be safe. And besides, you're psycho-killer boyfriend is after me. Eep! _-dives back in as Yami approaches- _

**Yugi: **^^' Please review?!

**Darkie: **If you don't review, I will be led to believe that you did not read this chapter, and will therefore wait even longer before the next update in order to give you a chance to read the chapter, because I will think you have not read it. See? I'm being very considerate, ain't I? ^_^

**Bakura: **...That is some really twisted logic.

**Darkie: **Ah, but it still makes perfect sense, no? _-smiles widely- _

**Bakura: **...Not really...

**Next time: **Uh...well, you find out the REAL reason why Yami is in the asylum! ^^ Finally! I've had this planned out for like...forever! And I'm still not sure if he would get sent to an asylum for what happened...but you can't exactly send an eight-year-old to prison...oops, did I just say that out loud? xD


	8. Chapter 8

**Darkie: **_-peeks out from bomb shelter (which I would advise all potential fanfiction writers to get, for their own safety)- _Um...hi?

**Bakura: **_-giant vein pulses in forehead- _WHERE. THE. FUCK. HAVE. YOU. BEEN?!?!

**Darkie: **Eep! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It took me forever to get this chapter right, and even so, it probably still sucks, so I was too afraid to post it! Also, I absolutely FAIL at writing first person in the present tense!

**Disclaimer: **Me no own shit.

**Warning: **Yami-no-Tamashii apologizes in advance for any grammar mistakes or errors regarding past and present tense. She would like to inform you that Yami's way of thinking is purposefully atrocious, because he is just a little boy. Some of his thoughts might even be a bit naive for his age at the time, but DEAL WITH IT. Although she admits that her way of writing first person and present tense is terrible, so if you find any sentences that don't quite make sense, please feel free to sue.

**Darkie: **NANI?! THAT'S NOT WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO SAY!

**Marik: **_-snickers-_

**Darkie: **TT_TT WAAHH! DON'T SUE ME!!! Also, pay attention for the special message at the bottom. It's important, and reveals a lot about the way the world is today. Who would've thought there were people so despicable? Heh heh, I bet you're curious now. But sucks for you, you guys have to get through this abomination of a chapter before reading my end-notes! Bwahahahaha!!!

**Bakura: **You do realize that they can just scroll all the way down and completely ignore the chapter, right?

**Darkie: **Shut up! You're ruining the moment!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Eight**

**

* * *

**

I wonder how long had passed since Yugi left. It seemed like an eternity, but for all I knew it could only have been a few days at the most. I didn't even bother to look out the window at the sky anymore; I hadn't even glanced at those three solitary bars since my aibou had left.

_Aibou_…I had taken to calling Yugi that, in my head. But I had never spoken it out loud; I suppose I was afraid of his reaction. Now I realize that I should have just straight out told him how I felt right from the beginning, before something like this happened. I knew he would leave eventually…I just wasn't expecting it to be so soon. The small asylum cell seemed so…empty, now.

Yugi's friends had tried to visit once or twice the past few days. Tried. I couldn't bring myself to let them in the room, though, no matter how long or how hard they banged on the door and yelled my name. I didn't want to hear my little one's name leave their mouths. I knew I wouldn't be able to take it if that happened.

I have nothing left in this world; nobody to talk to, nobody to understand me, nobody to love me. Yugi was the only thing that kept me sane throughout the past few months. But now he's gone…and I feel as if I have this big empty space inside my heart, one that can never again be filled.

I feel numb, as well. My body does things automatically, and thoughts of escape no longer plague my mind as they had the past ten years. The doctors are concerned and slightly unnerved by my strangely cooperative demeanor when they last gave me a physical check, two days ago. I can hear them whispering about me outside my door each night, when they think I'm asleep and have come to check on me. More than once I hear the voice of the man that I had come to hate; Shadi, as well as his wife Ishizu, have been around more than once. They seemed worried, more so than the other doctors, who all seemed to think I was going through some sort of 'phase'.

I can feel my mind slowly deteriorating into nothing as the days pass. I often find myself staring at the wall blankly, and the clock says hours had passed since I last checked, though I do not even remember what I was doing up until then. I can no longer string more than two words together at a time, no matter how hard I try. The nightmares have come back; worse than ever before. Oh Kami-sama, why is this happening to me? The memories of that night are clearer than ever before...I can almost feel his blood on my hands...

* * *

_October 20__th__, 1999_

_Eight-year-old Atemu grasped the leg of the table tightly as he crouched under it, watching his father's large feet lumber around the room. The scene he had witnessed not five minutes before kept replaying in front of the boy's wide crimson eyes._

_He killed her..._

_Atemu had arrived home from school that day to find his father's car already in the driveway; much earlier than he usually came home nowadays. Mama had told him that the reason Papa was always home so late was because he was 'drinking'. What this meant, Atemu did not really understand, since he drank milk and juice every single day, but Mama had told him that some things out there are bad for the people who drink them, but they drink them anyways because they get 'addicted'. Even so...he still thought it didn't make any sense...but it was Mama, and he believed her._

_Mama and Papa had been arguing in the bedroom when Atemu entered the house. Mama said something about Papa 'not being the same man she fell in love with', before Papa had started shouting at her, the word 'bitch' coming up more than a few times. Atemu had opened the door a crack just in time to see his father jump on his mother, a rusty dagger in his hand. _

_Right before his mother died, Atemu could've sworn he saw her gaze land on him, hidden behind the door, before her beautiful magenta eyes glazed over._

_And now, here he was, hiding under a dining table as his father stumbled about the room, upending furniture in his rage and muttering something about how he 'killed his bitch'. _

_After a while, Papa's footsteps receded down the hall, and Atemu took his chance. Crawling out from under the table, he tried to silently make his way over to the front door and get help from the neighbors, but a loud, raspy voice stopped him in his tracks._

_"There you are, you little brat!"_

_Atemu's blood seemed to freeze in his veins, and he turned to see the man who was once his 'Papa' towering over him, a creepy leer on his face. His beady black eyes were glinting eerily, and in his right hand was the rusty dagger, still dripping with his Mama's blood. The sight of the dagger caused something in the third grader to finally snap, and he jumped at his 'father', but was unable to knock him over, instead settling for beating the man with his fists and screaming bloody murder._

_His father seemed amused at his antics, and grasped Atemu roughly by the collar, hoisting him up in the air with both hands, having dropped his dagger in favor of strangling the child to death instead. Atemu gasped, saliva bubbling in his throat and leaking out of his mouth as he fought for air, writhing violently in the man's--for he refused to think of him as his father any longer-- grasp. A few more seconds passed, and Atemu began seeing black at the edges of his vision, and sweat was pouring down his forehead as though someone had turned on a faucet. With the last of his strength, he kicked both his feet, making contact with his attacker's groin._

_As the man doubled over in pain, he let go of Atemu, causing said boy to land painfully on his bottom. Atemu backed away from the crazed man quickly, only to wince as his back hit the front door, effectively stopping his retreat. By now 'the man' had recovered, and was now advancing menacingly, hands outstretched. But something was different. Atemu's red eyes were no longer wide with fear, but narrowed with determination as he caught sight of the discarded dagger not two feet to the right from where he sat. _

_His father was only five feet away; without thinking, without even _breathing_, Atemu lunged for the dagger, grasping it's handle and bringing it out in front of him, intending to use it to threaten his attacker. Instead, however, he found himself face to face with his father's face, the smell of alcohol coming off of him in waves. How strange; his father's eyes seemed to be getting dimmer with each passing second, and he wasn't making any move to attack him. It was then that Atemu felt a sticky, wet substance flowing over his hands, and he looked down. The sight made him almost want to turn to the side and vomit._

_The dagger that he had intended to use to drive away his father was now imbedded in the man's chest, and blood from the room was slowly flowing down Atemu's tanned hands and dripping onto his jeans. Horrified, Atemu withdrew the dagger with a sickening 'SQUELCH', rolling his father's body onto it's back. _

_As he stared down at his Papa's lifeless body, all the emotion suddenly left Atemu. His body moved as if on autopilot, and the boy soon found himself in his parents' bedroom, kneeling beside his mother. As he stared at her glazed magenta eyes, Atemu recalled what his Mama had told him about 'death', right after Obaa-san's funeral._

"Death," she said gently, "Is rather like going to sleep, for a very, very long time."

"But anyone who goes to sleep has to wake up sometime, right, Mama?" Atemu, then five years old, had asked. His mother simply smiled in a sad sort of way.

"I suppose that's true, but Obaa-san isn't going to wake up in a very long time, I'm afraid," she said softly. Atemu shook his head stubbornly.

"But what will happen when she does wake up?" he asked. "Won't she be scared to find herself in a box underneath the ground?"

Mama didn't answer.

_"Wake up soon, Okaa-san," Atemu said softly, using the name he used to call Mama, before she had gotten into American novels and insisted he call her 'Mama' instead. "You still have to cook dinner and tuck me into bed. And tomorrow's Sunday; you promised you'd take me to the movies. Right, Okaa-san?"_

_Atemu felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he blinked them away irritably. What would Okaa-san think if she woke up to find him crying? She would probably laugh and call him a silly boy for worrying about her. His eyes traveled to the wound on her bosom. That looked awfully painful...but it probably wasn't anything Okaa-san wouldn't be able to fix when she woke up._

_"I'll wait for her," he said to himself firmly. "'A very long time' can't be that long, can it?"_

_So he sat there. And waited._

_Hours passed. Atemu's eyelids began to droop, but he stubbornly kept them open. He wanted to be awake when his Okaa-san woke up, after all. The sound of sirens reached his ears from outside, along with mens' voices, but Atemu paid them no heed. His mother was more important. _

_The front door banged open, and outraged cries were heard when the intruders caught sight of his father's body. But Atemu couldn't care less. His red eyes were half-lidded and fixed on his mother's face, his fingers playing with the rusty old dagger. The boy didn't even flinch when the policemen entered the bedroom, instead wiping his eyes with a bloody hand, smearing half of his face with the red liquid. _

_"What the hell happened here?" a voice asked loudly. Atemu didn't spare him even a glance. A large, heavy hand landed on his shoulder._

_"Hey kid, what happened here?" a gruff voice sounded in his ear. Atemu shook his head irritably._

_"Mama went to sleep," he whispered tiredly. "She went to sleep and now she won't wake up."_

_One of the men shouted something, and the dagger was ripped out of his hands. More shouting followed, and the man with the gruff voice asked Atemu another question, this time not sounding as nice._

_"How did you come by that dagger, kid? Did you do all this?"_

_Atemu didn't answer. He didn't care what these men were here for. He just wanted his Okaa-san to wake up again and smile at him. Until that happened, the police would have to wait. Suddenly, his musing was interrupted when a pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist and hauled him up. Atemu kicked and screamed, but to no avail._

_"Sir, the two types of blood on the knife match that of both the woman and the man. A child's fingerprints were also found on the handle." The arms around Atemu tightened.  
_

_"Listen, kid, we're gonna have to take you to the station so that you can be questioned, understood? What you did here is a serious crime, and we'd like to know why you did it," the man holding him said._

_"I didn't do anything!" Atemu cried, struggling harder against his captor. "Papa did it! He made Mama go to sleep! It's all his fault! LET ME GO!"_

_"The kid's delusional," another man said, shaking head. "We'll probably have to lock him up."_

_"Well then, let's not waste our time standing around," the officer who was holding Atemu said. "Let's get back to the station before the media arrives. They're going to eat this all up, I'll bet."_

_With that, they began to walk out of the room, half carrying, half dragging Atemu with them._

_"NO! LET ME GO!" Atemu screamed, stretching out his hands towards his mother's body. "MAMA! MAMA! MAMAAAAAAA!!!"

* * *

_

Yami shot up from his pillow, red eyes bright with fear, body drenched in cold sweat. He put a shaking hand to his forehead, as he closed his eyes and tried to forget the extremely vivid nightmare. He was breathing as though he had just run a marathon, and he could practically feel the blood on his hands, arms, and face. A hand came up to wipe at his eyes, and Yami analyzed the limb thoroughly for any trace of blood. But of course, there was none to be found. Yet, he could still feel the sticky, red substance. It clung to his skin, and the coppery smell filled his nostrils, making him nauseous.

_I really am going insane_, _aren't I, Okaa-san?_

_

* * *

_

_October 31__st__, 1999_

_Many people bustled about the neat, white room. Atemu sat in a hard wooden chair across a desk from a bald Egyptian man with emotionless blue eyes. The nametag on his shirt read 'Dr. Shadi Ishtar, Ph.D'. He stared at Atemu in a peculiar way, as though he were a science experiment, and it bugged the boy to no end._

"_Where's Mama?" he asked softly. The man's eyes seemed to look nicer for a moment, and he said,_

"_You're mother and father's affairs are being attended to right now. You'll be able to attend their funeral before your confinement."_

_He had used a lot of big words, and Atemu didn't fully understand. But one word he did know was 'funeral', having been to his grandmothers three years prior. But why did his parents need to be buried? How would they get out once they finally woke up? Instead, however, Atemu voiced another question.  
_

"_Confinement? What does that mean?" he asked nervously. This man gave him the creeps.  
_

"_It means you'll be, er, how to put this, locked away," the man said uncomfortably. _

"_So…I'm going to jail?" Atemu asked, horrified. "But I didn't do anything wrong!" The man shook his head._

"_Not jail; you're too young for that," he replied. "You'll be kept here, in the hospital. And it's alright if you don't remember what happened; it's quite common in these cases when people go insane."_

"_I'm not insane!" Atemu shouted, the pieces finally clicking into place. These people thought that he was some insane kid who killed his parents! "I know what happened! Papa killed her! He killed Mama! And now she won't wake up!" He was crying now, because he knew that the man didn't believe him. He was looking at Atemu the way Mama used to look at him when he lied about taking a cookie from the jar.  
_

_

* * *

__November 4__th__, 1999_

_Atemu watched silently as Mama and Papa's coffins were lowered into their respective graves, before the gravediggers covered them up. He felt like crying all over again, but he didn't want to shed tears in front of all these people. He recognized a few of them. Over there was Auntie Hisana and Uncle Jushitake, who had always been nice to him and served him chocolate chip cookies whenever he visited. But now they were as far away from Atemu as they could be without seeming like they were trying to avoid him. A little ways to his right were his friends from school, Bakura Dorobo and Marik Ishtal. They were looking at him funny, and kept pulling on their mothers' skirts and pointing at him, as though wanting to come over and talk. But the two women always shushed them and moved them farther away, shooting Atemu glares behind their shoulders. Atemu couldn't help but notice that nobody at the funeral was standing within ten feet of him, and they all seemed to be staring at him and whispering behind his back.  
_

_After everybody left, Atemu was left standing there alone; the guy who was supposed to 'guard' him was a little ways away, claiming that he wanted to "give him some space". Suddenly, Atemu didn't feel like crying anymore. He only felt a deep sadness settling in his heart, along with anger at Papa for being the cause of all this. If it weren't for him and his 'drinking problem', they would still be a happy family, and Mama would still be alive. _And he would still call me 'prince'…

_Atemu looked over at the man, silently telling him that he wanted to leave. On the way back to the hospital, he heard the man talking on his cellphone._

"_He's a lunatic, that one. Didn't shed a single tear at the funeral. He really doesn't care—" At this point, Atemu covered his ears and tried not to listen. _

* * *

_August 10__th__, 2001_

_I've been here for almost two years now. The doctors keep calling me to their rooms to try and 'fix' me. But I don't need to be fixed. I'm perfectly healthy, after all. Mama always said that. But they don't believe me. They keep asking me questions about the night my parents died. Yes, I've come to accept that they're dead, now, and that they're not coming back. Doesn't mean I like it._

_I don't feel the same anymore. I don't want to have fun or play games, and all the people at the hospital are older than me. They tease me all the time, but I'm too little to fight back. _

_I once asked Dr. Shadi (the bald guy) when I would be 'released' from the hospital, because I heard a lot of people say that they were getting 'released' on this or that date. I found out that it means that they were going home. Did this mean I would be able to go home too?_

_But Dr. Shadi only looked at me in a weird way, like he felt sorry for me. He said that even if I _did_ get better enough to leave, I'd have to go to an orphanage, since I can't live in my old house anymore. But he also said that the chances of me getting released were 'slim', or 'not a lot'. I got mad and asked him why. He said it was because I never told him anything about what happened._

_But I _did_ tell him. I told him the truth! Papa killed my Mama and tried to kill me, so I stabbed him with his knife. But Shadi said that the 'evidence was incriminating', and that there was solid proof that I was the one who killed both of them. He didn't believe me, no matter how many times I told him. It wasn't fair! All the CSI shows my friends at school talked about showed police officers investigating fingerprints and stuff like that, so why didn't they find Papa's prints on the knife?_

_I suddenly remember that he had been wearing gloves that day, because it had been cold and rainy. I start seeing red, and I punch my room's wall. My hand hurts a lot now, but I don't care. _

_Life wasn't fair._

_

* * *

_

_July 31__st__, 2004_

_It's been a long, long time since I came to the madhouse. I know it's a madhouse now, and not just a 'hospital'. Some nut named Hirutani told me. _

_Wow, has it really been four years? Time sure flies fast, and I'm thirteen now, but I can barely read any of the notices pinned to the boards in the hallways. I guess that's what happens when you miss out on four years of schooling. I don't know what any of those big words mean._

_I _did _ find something to keep my mind off things for the past few months, though. Some poor guy was beaten up by some of the older and dumber residents, and they just left him lying there. I went over to help him, but saw that he had a knife. You're not allowed to keep sharp objects in the asylum, since the doctors are afraid you'll hurt yourself. I took it anyway; it was a chance to break the rules, after all._

_I never stooped so low as to actually _hurt_ myself with it, though. After all, it'd be kind of sad if I killed myself right before the doctors decide to release me (not like that seems to be happening anytime soon). But hey, a guy can hope, right? Instead, I throw the knife like a dart at the wall opposite my bed, above the empty cot. It helps relieve…stress, I think it was called._

* * *

_September 12__th__, 2005_

_Damn Kami-sama, damn doctors, damn asylum! Damn that son-of-a-bitch father of mine! Damn EVERYTHING! _

_I've been confined to my room…permanently. All because I was trying to defend myself against some thug who thought I was easy prey. It wasn't my fault he had a defective skull that smashed in because of a single punch! He shouldn't have started the fight in the first place, dammit! _

_But the fact remains is that he's dead. And I killed him. Person number two…and for some reason I don't feel bad. He deserved it, anyway, picking on me just because I'm smaller than everybody else. I just haven't grown as much as other people, that's all! It doesn't mean I'm a wimp!_

_Now the doctors think I'm dangerous and out of my mind. I start to think that maybe they're right. Maybe I _am_ crazy. I guess being cooped up in a madhouse all these years finally got to my brain or something__. But I'm still not insane for the reason they think I am. Kind of funny, the way things are, actually. It was the doctor's locking me up and repeatedly drilling into my skull than I'm a freak who needs to be cured that actually caused me to go insane. _

_I chuckle darkly, before coughing. My voice is being funny lately. One second it's high, the next second it's low. One of the nurses said it was something called 'puberty', whatever that is. She said it was when a boy 'becomes a man'. Psh, 'becomes a man' my ass! Did she SEE how freaking SHORT I am?! Aren't men supposed to be tall and strong and buff? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I fit into none of those categories._

Permanent_ confinement…ugh, doesn't 'permanent' mean forever? So I'm being locked up 'forever'? I'm not even allowed downstairs for _meals_ then?! My question is answered when there's a knock on the door, and a person comes in bringing a tray of stale bread and lumpy oatmeal. _

_Life sucks._

_

* * *

_

_December 3__rd__, 2006_

_Some guy moved into my room today, on the other bed. His name is…Warashibe? Seriously, what kind of name is that? He annoys me…a LOT. He's jumpy and nervous, and screams in his sleep about _ice cream_, of all things. Gee, pal, thanks for reminding me that I haven't had ice cream since I was seven. Reeeaally helps with my mood._

_He's rude, too. Everytime I say something he tells me to 'shut up', and it's one of the rare moments he's not jumpy or nervous. His teeth chatter a lot, and his knees shake. Kami-sama, I hate that man._

_The door opens and he comes back in. I shoot him a glare, and he looks at me before turning his nose in the air and sitting down on his bed. He then says something to me other than 'shut up'. And that 'something' nearly causes me to go over the edge._

"_The guys downstairs say you're a freak and that you killed your own parents," he says snootily. "Frankly, I'm not surprised."_

_I clench my teeth and fists, glaring at him. He seems to take my lack of an answer as confirmation to the rumors he heard, and smirks. I hate him so much more now…all I think about for the rest of the evening are all the different ways I could kill him. _

_Night falls, and lights go out, signaling bedtime. I hear snores from the other bed, and my body moves automatically. My hand slides to grasp the knife under my pillow, and I stand up and walk over to his cot. _

_I raise my knife and watch as it glints in the moonlight. Warashibe conveniently wakes up, and I make sure that the last thing he ever sees is my smirking face  
_

_--_

_December 4__th__, 2006_

_I can hear the doctors and nurses searching for my missing roommate. Apparently, he never showed up for breakfast, lunch, OR field time. Not that I'm surprised; I have to say I dealt with him in a way befitting a horror movie. Although it took me forever to get the blood off of my clothes and knife._

_Suddenly, I hear a loud scream from one of the nurses. A grin creeps its way onto my face. It seems that they found the 'present' I left for them in the janitorial closet down the hall. _

* * *

_March 19__th__, 2007_

_I've come to face the truth now. I'm not ever leaving the asylum. I'm sixteen, now, which means I've been hear for eight years, and the doctors have long since given up on me. They say I'm a hopeless cause, and that the only thing to do was to keep me locked up until I die. _

"_You're a freak."_

"_Insane!"_

"_He's mentally unstable."_

"_A danger to society!"_

"_We can't ever let him out!"_

_Those were just _some_ of the things that have been said to me, indirectly or not, throughout my stay here. If I listed all of them, I'd be going on for at least a year. But I know that the doctors are telling the truth. I _am_ a freak. I _am_ insane. I'm mentally unstable and dangerous, and I'll never be freed. It's the sad truth, but one I've come to accept._

_But I refuse to end things, even though my knife is within easy reach. I won't give up, but I won't get my hopes up either. I'll live out the rest of my life here the right way. I'll probably die much sooner than the average human being, considering the lack of fresh air and decent food, but it's not like I'm complaining._

_Perhaps one day, though, somebody will come save me. Do I have any extended family out there who are looking for me? Or did they already find me, but left when they heard that I've been locked in a nuthouse? _

_No, I mustn't get my hopes up. My life is pretty much over, and my future is decided. I'll grow old and die in this very room. Nobody can save me now._

_

* * *

_

**Darkie: **Okay, I TOLD you I suck at present tense. And I know the first like, three flashbacks were in third person, but that was because I was really in no mood to attempt narrating an eight-year-old's thoughts in present tense. Nuh uh. Thirteen, I can handle, since that's my age. Anything older than that, why not? It gives me an excuse to swear. But eight years old? No effing way.

Also, Yami-no-Tamashii is not responsible for any mental scarring resulting from reading her pathetic excuse for an excuse for Yami being in the asylum. Yeah. Also, deepest apologies for the cheesiness.

**Yami: **I KILLED my father and NOBODY BELIEVED ME WHEN I SAID IT WAS IN SELF-DEFENSE?!?!

**Darkie: **Yup. Makes sense, no? Nice to know the crime and justice system is so fair these days. :D But seriously, guys, I believe that the Bill of Rights, while convenient, has a lot of flaws. It not only gives people the right to speak up for themselves, but it also gives them the right to hate on others. Now, you're probably wondering where I'm going with this.

Just yesterday, a group called the Westboro Baptist Church from _Kansas_, of all places, came all the way to lovely California to protest at one of MY city's local high school. You see, this particular high school had been having a lot of problems with suicide recently, and I don't know if it's just a coincidence that all the people who went and got themselves killed on the railroad tracks went to the same school, or whether the school just SUCKS (which I hope not, since I'm entering it as a freshman this fall). But anyways, these Christian people consider suicide a sin, so they went over at 7:30 AM in the morning to protest about suicide. The students held a counter-protest in response (not FOR suicide, I'm sure, but just protesting the fact that the people were even there at all).

Apparently, though, this high school was not the Church's _only_ target in our lovely little city. Later that day, they headed on over to Stanford University (oops, I probably just gave away where I lived, but who freaking cares?) to protest at the Jewish Community Center there (I didn't even know they HAD a JCC there), since apparently these people are die-hard Christians, and believe Jews and homosexuals to be the root of all world evil or something (which I think is pretty stupid, considering Jesus was Jewish...o.o).

The depressing part? Because the Bill of Rights gives the people of America 'freedom of speech' and 'freedom of assembly', it was perfectly legal for them to be there, no matter how many people they pissed off.

Also, did I mention that they have their own website? Yes, it's called God Hates Fags dot Com. _-nods solemnly- _

**Yugioh Cast (otherwise known as 'the accused'): **WHAT?!?!?!?!

Yep, it actually exists too. I checked it out and it has a bunch of crap on it about how everybody on earth is evil and is going to hell. Well, hate to break it to them, but if everybody on earth is damned to hell, they'll be the first ones there! _-makes rude hand gesture-_ Also, if God hated homosexuals, he wouldn't have created them, ya load of fucktards!

**Malik: **Psh, I bet if you told them that, they'd just spew out some crap about how gay people were God's 'defective creations' or something that couldn't be helped.

**Ryou: **-_-' That...is highly likely.

**Bakura: **YOU DAMN HATERS CAN JUST GO TO HELL! _-makes EXTREMELY rude hand gesture- _No, better yet, why don't you all get devoured by Ammut instead?!?! Bastards!

**Marik: **Fucking haters!

**Yami: **_-is obviously furious but is attempting to act more composed and sophisticated than his fellow yamis- _

**Darkie: **Now, you're all probably wondering why I bothered to tell you this. I purposefully but this in the end notes so that you would remember it after you read the chapter, and since you guys are all Yaoi fans like myself, you'd understand what a bunch of assholes these people are. I know I probably shouldn't complain to you guys about my problems, but I was just so pissed when I heard about this that I just HAD to tell someone!

**Yugi: **_-is quite shocked at today's turn of events- _Well, er, please review!

**Darkie: **Oh, and also, on a lighter note: Oh. My. Freaking. Gawd. 266 REVIEWS?!?! Did I ever tell you guys how much I love you? ^^


	9. Chapter 9

**Darkie: **_-attempts to sneak into the room unnoticed, clutching a large yellow plushy with a hat on it-_

_-lights turn on, and Darkie turns to find the Yu-Gi-Oh characters all standing in one line glaring at her-_

**Darkie: **Eep! _-attempts to hide Cheese-kun (the plushy) and tries to look innocent-_ Um...hey guys! What's up?

**Yu-Gi-Oh Cast:** _-glare-_

**Darkie:** _-gulps-_ Um...guys?

**Yu-Gi-Oh Cast:** _-continues to glare-_

**Darkie:** _-sweating profusely and looks around desperately, before...-_

**Yami:** _-steps forward and opens his mouth, about to say something-_

**Darkie:** ALRIGHT, I'M SORRY!!!!

**Yami:** _-steps back, bewildered-_ Wha-?

**Darkie:** GOMENASAI GOMENASAI GOMENASAI FOR NOT UPDATING!!! I-I-I WAS JUST SOOO CAUGHT UP IN MY, er, SCHOOLWORK! Yeah, that's it! I have a lot of homework and all, so, um..._-shrinks under their glares-_ Okay, okay, maybe it wasn't the schoolwork...

**Bakura:** Then what was it?

**Darkie: **Um...I plead the fifth?

**Malik:** _-glares-_ What's in the briefcase? And just WHAT is that _hideous _yellow...thing?

**Darkie:** This is Cheese-kun! _-holds out for all to see-_ He's a Pizza Hut mascot from Code Geass!

**Bakura:** Not that stupid 'Code Geese' again...

**Darkie:** Code Geass, Bakura. Gee-ASS-u! And the briefcase is none of your business! Eek! _-briefcase is snatched away by Marik-_

**Marik:** _-rifles through it-_ There are a bunch of pictures of this really girly looking dude in a uniform...plus this weird dude in a costume with a robot mask...

**Darkie:** Hey! Give that back! Don't you dare touch my Lelouch pictures!

**Yami:** Le...loosh?

**Darkie:** Oh you shut up! _-waves briefcase threateningly-_ Just get on with the damn chapter! I made it extra long _just_ for you guys! _-smiles sweetly-_

**Bakura:** Some how I doubt that.

**

* * *

**

Sugoroku Mutou, for the first time in his respectably long life, was utterly baffled. He had driven ten miles into the city in order to pick up his grandson from the clutches of those crazy nutcases known as psychologists, expecting the boy to be overjoyed at his arrival. Instead, however, the old man had been met by downcast eyes set in a gloomy face, as the owner of said face practically dragged his feet into the main lobby.

Why wasn't his son's only child jumping for joy at being released from the asylum? Why hadn't he struck up an animated conversation with him as soon as he got into the car? Why had he locked himself up in his room the minute he arrived at his grandfather's home and refused to come down for hours?

Now Sugoroku Mutou may have been a good seventy-three years old, but that didn't make him stupid and senile. He knew that something had happened during Yugi's stay at the hospital; something that had caused his grandson to be so unhappy upon leaving. But what could it be? Had he, Kami-sama forbid, made _friends_ there? The old man knew that Yugi had never been what one would call 'popular' at school, and had frequently received calls from the boy's mother, fretting over the number of bruises and scrapes the boy received each day from bullies. By all accounts, Sugoroku should be overjoyed that his grandson had found people he could connect with.

But did it _have _to be people from a mental hospital?

Sugoroku just didn't know _what_ to do anymore. _Kids these days really _are_ crazy._

* * *

As the old man pondered his predicament, the very object of his thoughts was currently lying on his bed in his brand new bedroom on the second floor. Yugi Mutou stared blankly at the ceiling, watching his solar system mobile sway idly in the small breeze coming in from his bedroom window.

It had been exactly three days since Yugi had left the asylum. Exactly seventy-two hours – give or take – since he had left behind the one he loved. As cheesy at it sounded, Yugi would give anything to be back at the madhouse, just so he could curl up in Yami's arms. But that was impossible now.

The seventeen-year-old couldn't help but feel bad, though. He could tell that his grandfather was worried about his behavior; that he was confused as to why Yugi wasn't even slightly happy at being released. Yugi had played with the thought of telling his grandfather the truth, but what could he say?

"_Hey, Jii-san! The truth is that the reason I've been down in the dumps lately is because I fell in love with my crazy roommate, and then I had to leave him. Oh, and did I mention that he's incurably insane and is a permanent resident at the madhouse?"_

Yeah…he was sure that _that_ would go over _real _well. Groaning, Yugi covered his face with his pillow, wondering if he should try and suffocate himself. After a few moments, he got up from his bed and glanced at the clock. Four thirty-three. Tomorrow, he would be going back to Domino High to finish his schooling, as his grandfather insisted. After he received his diploma, Yugi had the option of either going on to college, or staying to help run the game shop that his grandfather owned.

Maybe he could try getting a degree in psychology, he thought idly. Then he could get a job at the _Shuuyoujo_ or something. But that would never work. Psychology was a difficult subject to major in, and Yugi knew he didn't have the grades _or_ the temperament to be one. Oh well…it was a thought.

Sighing, Yugi began dreading the next morning. No doubt the kids at school had heard of his stay at the mental hospital; he would surely be surrounded by rumors and gossip as soon as he set foot on the campus. He had already been classified as somewhat of a push-over before; just some quiet kid who never fought or talked back at all; easy prey for bullies. If he was honest with himself, Yugi would admit that life at the asylum had actually been a lot better than his previous life at school. At least there, he was accepted. There, he had friends. There, he had Yami.

Yugi straightened up and made his way to his desk, where he rummaged around for a pen and paper. Even if he couldn't _see _Yami, he could do the next best thing; write to him and let him know that he had not been forgotten, that he will never _be_ forgotten. Clicking on the end of his pen, the tri-colored hair boy began to write:

_Dear Yami…_

* * *

"_I know this letter may come as something of a surprise. But I just wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten you, and that I think about you every hour of every day. Tomorrow's my first day of school, and I'm absolutely dreading it. I know that there will be all sorts of nasty rumors spread about my stay at the asylum._

_But never mind that. How have you been? I hope you're alright; I'd never forgive myself if you did something reckless and gotten yourself into more trouble because of me. Don't do anything rash, okay? I know the thought has crossed your mind. Don't even try to deny it. :)_

_Oh Yami, no words can describe how much I miss you. I had wanted to send this to you directly, but I wasn't sure if hospital protocol would let me, or if you would be able to read it, since it's been so long since you've gone to school. So I sent this to Ryou, so that he may pass it along and read it to you. Try to connect with the others more; they'll cheer you up some, I promise. _

_Love,_

_Yugi"_

Ryou finished reading and looked up, eying Yami warily. He and Bakura (who had refused flat-out to let Ryou come alone), sat on the other cot across the room from Yami, closer to the door. The young albino tried to judge the dark teen's expression, but doing so proved more difficult than he had anticipated. He had expected the teen to be an open book, emotions flashing across his eyes and face with no effort to try and hide them. Most insane people were like that, after all. Ryou had experience.

But Yami was different. Yami wasn't like most cases, and Ryou supposed he should have figured. The dark teen's face was expressionless, and his ruby eyes seemed to have seen far more than he had been ready to see. But no recognizable emotion lurked in their deep crimson depths. Ryou wasn't sure if this was a good thing. It was harder to be cautious around someone you couldn't read.

The awkward silence continued, with the two albinos sitting on one side of the room, the supposedly insane lunatic on the other. Neither side moved or made a sound; the pair of white-haired teens waited for Yami's reaction with bated breath. Was the teen going to have a tantrum of some sort, or would he break down and cry? The two knew that when dealing with someone like Yami, the best thing to do was to be prepared for anything. They had even managed to con one of the guards, a man by the name of Ryuuji, to stand watch by the door, just in case they needed his help to stop a mentally unstable individual from doing anything drastic.

"So he didn't forget," Yami said, so softly that Ryou and Bakura had to strain their ears to hear. "He kept his promise…nobody's ever promised me anything and stayed true to their word…not since _they_ died."

Ryou shot Bakura a glance, as if silently telling the elder that he had yet to tell him _why_ Yami was even in the asylum in the first place. Bakura just stared back, as if telling the younger that it wasn't the time and place for such things.

"Of course Yugi wouldn't forget about you," Ryou reassured the older teen. "He loves you! He even said so at the end of his letter! See? 'Love, Yugi'!" The boy nudged Bakura in the ribs, and the latter nodded grudgingly.

"Yeah, sitting around moping all day really isn't going to bring him back, you know," he said gruffly, and Ryou resisted the urge to facepalm. Didn't his crush know the definition of the word 'tact'?

"Bakura's right, Yami," Ryou agreed, still shooting Bakura a dirty look. "How would Yugi feel if he knew that ever since he's left, you've been sitting around sulking?"

"Isn't that what he's been doing for the past ten years anyway?" Bakura interjected lazily, preferring to play with his younger counterpart's hair. His fingers were swiftly batted away, however, after he made his comment. Ryou's doe-brown eyes glared at him, and he hissed, "_Not_ helping, 'Kura!"

Yami had yet to answer Ryou's question, but Ryou noticed with satisfaction that he appeared deep in thought. Grabbing Bakura's wrist, he dragged the elder up off the cot and led him to the door. Hand on the knob, Ryou turned back to look at Yami.

"Think about it like this, Yami. What would make _Yugi_ happy?"

With that, he and Bakura left the room, leaving the ruby-eyed Egyptian to his thoughts.

* * *

Just as Yugi predicted, he was immediately bombarded with whispers and stares the moment he stepped onto campus. He felt hundreds of pairs of eyes on him, observing him, judging him. As he stumbled into homeroom just as the bell rang, the teacher just had to embarrass him further by announcing to the entire class to that he had just come back from therapists at the hospital, further informing the few students who didn't already know. To make matters worse, the teacher went on to tell everybody to 'be nice to Mutou-kun', because he had just lost his parents. _Yeah, way to make the target on my forehead even bigger than it already is, Nakajima-sensei,_ Yugi thought sarcastically as he made his way to his seat at the back of the class. _Why not just stick a huge neon sign to my back that says, 'Fresh Meat Here'?! _

The rest of the school day progressed just as badly. It seemed that no matter where Yugi went, there were people whispering about him. Sometimes, the whispers were about how the group of people 'felt sorry' for the 'poor fellow'. Others were not so nice. The jocks and cheerleaders especially talked purposefully loud whenever Yugi was nearby, making snide remarks about how he 'was probably insane', and 'I'll bet the _real_ reason he was sent there was that he _cracked_ after his parents died'.

Yugi did his best to ignore the gossip, but it was hard, especially when the people gossiping about you weren't exactly being subtle about it.

As the bell rang for dismissal, Yugi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He hurried home quickly, taking a detour in order to avoid the group of large jockeys who were obviously waiting at the corner just for him. The bell of the game shop tinkled merrily as Yugi opened it, and he was met by his grandfather's smiling face behind the counter.

"Good afternoon, Yugi," the old man greeted him. "How was your day?"

"It was fine," Yugi lied, avoiding his grandfather's searching plum-colored gaze. "I'm going to go upstairs and get started on some of my homework."

"Wait up a second, Yugi." His grandfather's voice stopped Yugi in his tracks, and the teen turned to see his grandfather gazing at him with something akin to concern.

"Yes, Jii-san?" Yugi asked tentatively.

"You know if there's anything on your mind, anything at all," his grandfather hesitated, as though unsure of what to say. "You know you can tell me anything, right Yugi?"

Yugi felt as though something had lodged itself in his throat. He suddenly felt guilty all over again for making his grandfather worry, but he knew that telling the truth would only make things worse.

"Yes…I know that, Jii-san," he said, forcing a smile, before he turned around all but ran up the stairs, leaving his only remaining family gazing sadly up at his retreating form.

* * *

Dr. Shadi Ishtar was usually a very calm and collected man. One of the reasons he was one of the best psychologists and doctors the hospital had to offer was simply because of the no-nonsense way he took care of things. Over the years, the bald Egyptian had found that the best way to deal with the mentally ill was to be straightforward with them, and, if necessary, force them towards the path of healing. It worked every time…that is, until _he_ came.

Atemu Sennen.

Shadi had been relatively new to the hospital back then, so when he was assigned to the young boy, barely out of third grade, he wasn't sure what to expect. He remembered that his initial thought was that he was simply a boy, and that it wouldn't be too hard to cure him, to nudge him back onto the correct path. But he was proven wrong. The acts this mere _boy_ had committed had been beyond the doctor's imagination. How could someone so young have done something so…so _cold_? How could _anyone_ murder the very two people who raised them?

At least, that was what the authorities had told the doctor when they first brought the boy in, clothes splattered with blood. Then, being the young, naïve man he was, he had believed their story easily, though with some shock and slight disbelief.

However, things did not go smoothly from there. The boy proceeded to baffle the doctor even more when he asked for his account of what happened. The eight-year-old had told him a story that was as far off from the authorities' account as Pluto was from the sun! Instead of giving a full out confession with tears and whatnot, the boy had calmly stated that his father had been the one to kill her mother, and that he, in a bout of self-defense, had stabbed his father. At first, the doctor had been inclined to believe the boy; he had seemed so lost, so afraid of what was to come. Not to mention the fact that he pulled it off so convincingly; no eight-year-old would be able to lie so smoothly and effortlessly. But when he had received word on the evidence from the case, he had erased all doubt from his mind. The boy's fingerprints had been found on the dagger, and no one else's. It didn't matter now how innocent or cute the boy looked. Shadi was not a superstitious person in general, but even he had the feeling that a boy with eyes that befit no one else but the Devil himself was not to be trusted.

That was what he had thought…at the time.

But now years later, with the arrival and departure of one Yugi Mutou, everything Shadi had believed in had gone up in smoke. During the young man's stay here, the infamous 'Yami' had been more calm and obedient during those few weeks than he had been in the past ten years. According to reports from the nurses who went to give him his check-ups, they had even caught him _smiling _every once in a while, and one swore that she heard him humming an old Japanese folk song under his breath while she was giving him a physical. Another thing that the doctor found odd was the boy's behavior ever since Mutou _left_ the asylum. The nurses had reported that the patient had seemed extremely down, but never struggled when given his medication, something that he was known never to do. Atemu Sennen was never one to sit there quietly while having a needle poked into his arm.

He began doubting his judgment on the ruby-eyed youth living on the sixth floor in the sixty-sixth room. What if, he thought, what if, all those years ago, he had been telling the truth? What if it had been the authorities that were in the wrong? He of all people should know that investigations held at crime scenes weren't as up to scratch as people were lead to believe. Something could easily have been overlooked. Now that Shadi thought about it, spending ten years in the asylum had really done nothing for the boy's mental health. If anything, the once subdued eight-year-old had only become increasingly violent as the years went by. Which therefore lead Shadi to think that perhaps nothing had been wrong with the boy in the first place. Giving a perfectly sanel person medication for the _in_sane was known to have the opposite affect on them, after all.

But he was but a single psychologist in a city of well over seven million people. His opinion wouldn't count against so many other residents who had lived through the media broadcast about the demon child who murdered his own parents. And the case was long closed, as well. The authorities would not want to pull out a ten-year-old case just to see if they missed a few hairs.

Nonetheless, the psychologist wanted to give the ruby-eyed boy another chance. Why, he didn't know. Perhaps, after all these years, he was getting soft, being surrounded by so many people with tragic pasts. Or perhaps he just wanted to redeem himself for a wrong he may have committed. But where to start? An idea popped into his mind, and Shadi nearly slapped himself for not thinking of it sooner. Of course! What other way to get the boy to open up more? _As long as he doesn't kill anybody in the process like last time_, he thought wryly. But in order to carry out what he had in mind, he needed the permission of his boss.

Shadi pressed the button on his desk that allowed him to communicate with his secretary in the next room. He was greeted by a bored 'hello', but was in no mood for pleasantries, instead deciding to get straight to the point.

"Get me Doctor Seto Kaiba. _Now._"

* * *

In the year 1975, a man named Gozaboro Kaiba constructed and built the Domino Hospital, so that the then small town wouldn't have to travel miles into the distant cities in order to treat their ill. The project was an immediate success, and Gozaboro Kaiba became sort of an icon to the people of Domino. As the city grew larger, so did the hospital, and when one of the residents of the city went insane after drinking contaminated water, Gozaboro immediately offered the services of his hospital in order to contain him. He hired psychologists and doctors of various other specialties, and the Domino Mental Asylum grew in size and population as the years went by.

In the year 1997, Gozaboro decided that he was to have an heir to take over his business when he was gone. Having no wife, and therefore no children of his own, he took a visit to the Domino Orphanage, where a young ten-year-old boy, sparkling with intelligence and good nature, caught his eye. He took in the boy as his own, and raised him to be a doctor like himself, so that he may one day work within his hospital's halls, and eventually take over it himself.

Now, it was the year 2009, and at the age of twenty-two years old, Seto Kaiba was already one of the most accomplished and influential doctors on the entire island of Hokkaido. His adoptive father, Gozaboro, had retired not even a year before, preferring to lay back and enjoy his wealth during his last years of life. As a result, Seto was left to basically run the hospital, along with his Board of Directors, who he periodically asked for advice.

However, the entire city knew that Dr. Seto Kaiba did not take his job entirely seriously. Sure, he did his paperwork, and was well educated in medicine, with a minor in psychology. But many fretted that the handsome young man spent entirely too much time in the mental asylum part of the hospital, instead of making rounds in the main building like a normal head doctor. No one ever commented on it, but the knowledge was there, in the back of everybody's mind. Fortunately, they didn't know that the reason was a certain blonde-haired boy that had been put in the asylum after witnessing a massacre that had occurred at his old school on the island of Shikoku, miles down to the south, an event that had taken over the media for weeks on end.

Speaking of which, said blonde-haired boy was currently involved in a heated argument with a platinum-blonde Egyptian, as Seto watched from the sidelines in amusement. The Egyptian, he vaguely recalled, was the younger brother of one of his employees, and the brother-in-law of another. Ishtar, his name was. Malik Ishtar. But 'Malik Ishtar' didn't matter in Seto's book. What mattered was the boy standing opposite him. A boy by the name of Katsuya Jounouchi, or preferably, Jou.

The doctor didn't know why, but there was something about the former street punk that utterly fascinated him. The way the boy acted reminded him fiercely of a golden retriever dog, with those big brown eyes and shaggy blonde hair, and an unwavering loyalty to his friends that was evident even from afar.

Utterly fascinating. Seto had never met a person quite like Jou.

"Excuse me, sir," a voice sounded behind his back, and the brunette turned to see a nurse standing in the hallway.

"What is it?" he asked emotionlessly, retrieving back into his everyday cold façade. The nurse shifted on her feet, clearly uncomfortable in the man's presence.

"Doctor Shadi Ishtar requests your presence in his office," she said hurriedly. "He says that it's important."

"Well, tell him that I have better things to do than chat with him over a cup of tea," he snapped, preparing to turn back towards the teenager who was now wrestling with his friend in the middle of the room. The nurse's next words, however, caused him to freeze.

"Um, the doctor said he knew you would say that," she mumbled, looking at the ground. "So he told me to tell you that it had something to do with one K-Katsuya Jounouchi and his f-friends?" It sounded like more of a question than a statement, but Seto didn't need to hear any more than that, as he was pivoted on the spot and walked, not _ran – _doctor's don't _run_ – _walked, _calmly and briskly, to the 'Staff Only' elevator.

Less than two minutes later, Seto was stalking into the Egyptian man's study, slamming his hands on the desk and glaring at him straight in his annoyingly blank blue eyes.

"This had better be good, Shadi," he hissed. The man smirked.

"What, did I interrupt your spying time on a certain patient?" he asked mockingly, and a vein in Seto's temple pulsed.

"That's none of your business," he muttered. "What did you call me here for? This had better not be some sort of joke."

The teasing look on Shadi's face immediately vanished, and a solemn expression took its place. He rustled the papers on his desk awkwardly, as if unsure of what to say.

"You are…_familiar_, are you not, with the story of one of our patients here, one Atemu Sennen?" he asked hesitantly, refusing to meet the brunette's gaze. Seto looked him curiously, head cocked to the side.

"You mean Yami?" he asked. "The kid who got dragged in here at the age of eight because he murdered his parents?"

"Yes…" It was official. Doctor Shadi was extremely uncomfortable. Seto blinked in confusion; this man was never, _ever_ uncomfortable doing _anything_.

"What about him?" he asked warily, suddenly suspicious of where this conversation was heading.

"Do you…honestly believe that, well, he actually _did_ kill his parents?" Shadi asked, looking up at his much younger employer. Seto huffed in annoyance.

"How should I know?" he asked irritably. "That was before my time here, you know that. Although I find it hard to believe that an elementary school child would stab his own parents, this is a madhouse. Anything is possible. Why are you bringing this up now? The case was closed years ago."

"I am sure that you are familiar with Yugi Mutou, the patient who left three days ago," Shadi continued, returning to his normal business-like tone. "I believe that he and your little blonde friend had grown close over the course of his stay."

"What about it?" Seto asked again, not liking where this was going. He didn't like asking too many questions; it made him feel stupid.

"It has come to my attention that during his stay, Yugi also developed a rather strong bond with his roommate, who, as I'm sure you know, is none other than Atemu," Shadi said. "They seem to have been extremely close, and Atemu has not shown any signs of rebellious behavior since Yugi left. Instead, he seems to have reverted into some sort of shell that he refuses to come out of. He doesn't even struggle anymore when the nurses go to check up on him."

"So that's why there has been a drastic decrease in injuries amongst the staff lately," Seto muttered, mostly to himself, but Shadi heard it as well.

"Yes. Mr. Kaiba…I am…concerned…with this behavior of Yami's," the Egyptian said, and to Seto it almost sounded as though the man had to force it out by swallowing his own pride. After all, Doctor Shadi Ishtar did not get 'concerned'.

"Why is that?" Seto asked, raising an eyebrow. "I would have thought that you would be quite happy with the change in our oldest patient's attitude."

"Well I'm not," Shadi replied curtly. "I am afraid that the boy is so distressed at losing the one person who made friends with him, that he's keeping all his emotions bottled up. You know what will eventually happen if this continues. He'll explode in a fit of rage that I fear not even our most skilled guards will be able to stop."

Seto nodded. What the doctor said made sense to him. A psychologist's job was to make sure the patient doesn't keep his emotions to himself; to ensure that he or she lets it go, for both themselves and for others. According to his records, Atemu had refused to do this, no matter now much the doctors pried him for information regarding that horrible night. Him keeping it all to himself definitely wasn't a good sign. But what did Shadi want to do about it? His question did not remain unanswered.

"So I was wondering if you would allow me to release Atemu from his permanent confinement."

For a moment, Seto could only stare at the doctor in front of him in shock. Release Yami, _the_ most dangerous and unpredictable resident to ever grace Domino Asylum? He had to be joking. But one look at Shadi's stern blue eyes told Seto that it was no joke. The man was dead serious.

"Give me one good reason as to why I should set the most insane person in this building loose," Seto said, keeping his voice level, but in his head he was screaming bloody murder, 'ARE YOU FREAKING CRAZY, MAN?!?! DO YOU WANNA BE LOCKED UP IN A COZY CELL OF YOUR OWN?!' But of course he kept his mouth shut.

"Your _favorite_," Shadi stressed the word, and Seto clenched his teeth, "patient, has come into contact with Atemu while visiting Yugi. Though he may not care much for Atemu, he cares about Yugi. I think that it would make him and everybody else in their little group happier if you were to do this."

Seto knew he could not object to making his little puppy happier, so he reluctantly conceded defeat.

"Fine, but if Atemu does _anything_ to threaten the other patients, _especially_ Katsuya," Seto growled out. "You'll have another thing coming."

"I am well aware of that," Shadi said with a nod. Seto huffed, blowing a tuft of chestnut hair out of his eyes, before turning and stalking out of the room. Shadi smirked softly. "I'll tell him myself tonight."

* * *

*Oh, that part about the giving medicine to sane people thing is apparently true. Apparently...I read that somewhere. The point is: don't give a perfectly sane person medicine meant for insane people. It just fucks up their brain since it tries to cure something that isn't there. Which is the reason that Yami is so fucked in the head right now...yeah.

**Darkie:** Again apologies for the uber-long wait. I went through a temporary anime-obsession known as CGODS (Code Geass Obsessive Disorder Syndrome).

**Bakura:** Doesn't sound very..._temporary_, if you ask me. You're still going strong over that Looloosh guy...

**Darkie:** It's LELOUCH! NOT 'LOOLOOSH', YOU BAKA!!! _-wacks Bakura on the head with her briefcase- _AND HE'S THE ONLY ONE WORTHY OF RULING THE WORLD, SO THERE!

**Bakura:** Gack! Okay, okay, okay! Wait, what? How could a pansy like that rule the world?! _-is ignored by Darkie-_

**Darkie:** Also, I realize the last chapter sucked AAAAASSSSSS!!! Without the 'Geee'

**Yu-Gi-Oh Cast:** _-rolls eyes-_

**Darkie:** _-cough-_ Yeah, so, I am desperately trying to made the plot actually...well, a plot, so bear with me for now! And the next update will be...in a while, I'm afraid. I'm kind of lost as to where I was going with this...I swear I had an ending in mind when I first thought of the story...but I forgot it. xD

**Yu-Gi-Oh Cast:** _-cue anime fall-_

**Darkie:** Oh, and thank you for the over THREE HUNDRED REVIEWS!!! YOU GUYS ARE THE BESTEST!!! _-glomps whoever is currently staring at the screen wondering how the hell an insane teenager such as this was ever able to start such a story- _That's like, a hundred reviews every three chapters! Making a grand total of approximately thirty three reviews per chapter! Woohoo!

Congratulations to our 300th reviewer: _Katia Gavin_!

Review and you get, er, a cyber..._-glances around the room-_ How about a cyber Anzu Mazaki voodoo doll? Complete with five-inch long nails that are a quarter of an inch thick and sharpened to perfection! Plus a box of matches and...ooh, a mini Iron Maiden!

**Readers:** Oooh! _-starry eyes-_


	10. Chapter 10

**Darkie: **_-tiptoes into the suspiciously dark and empty room-_

**Everybody: **_-pops out- _HAPPY BIRTHDAY YAMI-NO-TAMASHII! _-cue streamers and balloons and noisemakers-_

**Darkie: **_-has the shit scared out of her- _HOLY HELL!

**Yugi: **Happy Birthday, Darkie! _-smiles cutely-_

**Darkie: **Um...Yugi, my birthday was yesterday.

**Bakura: **_-stalks forward and grabs Darkie by the shirt collar- _Yeah, but since you TOLD us you'd be updating YESTERDAY, the shrimp here decided to throw a surprise part. I'VE BEEN CROUCHING BEHIND THAT COUCH FOR OVER TWENTY FOUR HOURS, RA-DAMMIT!

**Darkie: **EEK! Okay, I'm sorry! Gomenasai! I was going to update yesterday, but then I went to a BBQ, and when I came home I sort of...forgot. xD

**Bakura: **_-cue anime fall- _

**Darkie: **Um...so, on with the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **(**Bakura: **Since when did you have disclaimers? **Darkie: **Shaddup.) Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

Yami sat huddled up at the head of his bed, gazing blankly at his feet, his mind in state of almost disrepair. After Ryou and Bakura had left, Yami had once again retreated within his mind, searching desperately for some spark of hope in the seemingly never-ending darkness. What he had said to Ryou hours before was the most he had spoken since Yugi had left; now, however, Yami could no longer bring himself to utter a single sound.

His normally bright ruby eyes were now a dull crimson – the color of a worn red carpet. The ever-present glint of insanity was no longer there; Yami had realized that he hadn't had one of his 'attacks' since the 'incident' with Yugi and the knife. Said knife was now buried deep within the wardrobe under a pile of some too-small clothes, hopefully never to be seen again.

Yugi had spoken about school in his letter. Yami tried to remember the last day he had gone to school, but the events of that day were overshadowed by the events that happened during the same night. Yugi had said that he would be teased there. But why would anybody hurt someone as sweet and lovable as his _aibou_? As far as Yami knew they had no reason to; Yugi was a pure and innocent soul, who could never even bring himself to hurt a fly (proven when one of the annoying creatures had flown in through the window – Yugi had scolded Yami thoroughly for throwing a shoe at it).

Yami's only conclusion was that whatever school Yugi went to was probably full of very bad people. After all, only the worst of the worst would dare bully somebody like Yugi – people like his father, for example. Yami shuddered at the thought.

Suddenly, a sharp knock sounded at his door, startling Yami out of his train of thought. He glanced at the piece of stainless steel warily – it wasn't time for his monthly check-up, so why…?

"Atemu, this is Dr. Ishtar," the Egyptian's voice sounded through the door. Alarms immediately went off in Yami's brain; throughout his early years at the asylum, he had become associated to the term: Shadi = trouble. This was no exception, though what the doctor would possibly be doing here was beyond him.

Yami's eyes widened fractionally. What if the big suits had finally decided that he was a lost cause? Surely they didn't want to waste any 'precious resources and time' on a boy such as him – perhaps they had come to take him away and dispose of him? His very existence would be erased – Yami shivered, but then relaxed. Then again, what was the point in prolonging his imprisonment? It wasn't as if he had anything to lose; death actually sounded like a rather nice thing now that Yami thought about it. Hesitantly, the young Egyptian called out for the doctor to come in. A jingling of keys, and the doorknob turned, revealing a rather excited-looking Shadi Ishtar standing in the doorway.

He strode in calmly and sat down on the other cot (Yami internally growled at the man sitting on _his_ Yugi's bed), and stared at Yami with those piercing blue eyes that had more than not haunted Yami's nightmares.

"Well?" Yami asked, his voice hoarse from having been silent for so long. Then, Shadi did something unexpected.

He smiled. It was a soft smile, true, and nowhere near a toothy grin, but it was, nevertheless, a smile.

"I've come to discuss a rather important matter with you, Mr. Sennen," Shadi said, eyes twinkling unusually.

Yami raised an elegant eyebrow. _Okay, who are you and what have you done to Dr. Ishtar?_ He wanted to ask, but restrained himself. Most likely the doctor was just happy to finally be able to do away with him. It wasn't entirely impossible, after all. Before Yami could continue this train of thought, Shadi continued,

"I have spoken to Dr. Kaiba, the CEO of Domino Hospital, and he has agreed to allow you to be temporarily released from your permanent confinement, in order to give judgment on how your behavior may have changed, if at all. If we see that you no longer hold any violent tendencies toward others, than we may consider returning to you your lost privileges."

Yami nodded slowly, eyes closed. He had known it would come to this eventually, after all. It was time to accept his fate. He no longer feared death.

Then the doctor's words sank it. Yami's eyes flew open and he almost fell off his cot in shock.

"Wait…WHAT?"

Shadi's smile only widened.

* * *

The cafeteria was as noisy and crowded as usual, the inhabitants chatting and talking as though they hadn't a care in the world. The double doors flew open suddenly, and heads turned to see who had entered.

Dr. Shadi Ishtar stood in the doorway, which in itself was not an unusual occurrence. However, most gazes were drawn to the figure at his side. A boy of about eighteen years of age stood next to the esteemed doctor, with caramel-colored skin and wild, spiky multi-colored hair that reached to almost his shoulders in disarray. His sharp face was framed by jagged blonde bangs, and on it was a set of narrow, crimson eyes. Many patients and nurses shivered at the intensity in those unusually-colored orbs as they scanned the room curiously.

The 'new' patient wore the standard white uniform, except that his shirt was unbuckled to show off a tight and slightly torn black tank top, and his key hung on a string around his neck, like most. What caught the majority of people's eyes, however, was the wide plastic band around his wrist. This would not have been too unusual, as most patients themselves also had their own. What unnerved most people, however, was the band's color. Instead of the standard green color that 'normal' patients wore, this boy's band was a bright red. A code-red patient was supposed to be an extremely serious case that the doctors could not cure, and they were not supposed to be allowed amongst the normal patients for safety reasons. Currently, there was only one code-red patient in the entire asylum.

_Yami_.

The name was whispered from ear to ear, table to table, until soon enough the entire room was filled with soft murmurs. Some were alarmed, some were curious, but most were simply downright _scared_. Yami, however, paid no heed to the voices – he had long grown accustomed to them in his early years as a patient, after all. He resisted the urge to flinch, however, at the sheer number of people in the room. After being cooped up for who knows how long in a small cell, Yami was unused to the wide, open space and large crowds. A firm hand pressed on his shoulder, and he looked up into the encouraging blue eyes of his doctor. Though he still didn't trust the man completely, Yami had to give the guy some points for being so nice to him up until now.

"I'll leave the rest up to you, Atemu," Shadi whispered softly, before turning heel and exiting the room, leaving Yami to stand in the middle of the cafeteria, at mercy to the stares of over two hundred mentally unstable patients.

Shaking his head somewhat to clear it, Yami strode purposefully towards a specific table at the back of the room, who's occupants were the only ones who had yet to shoot him any malicious glares. As he approached the group, Ryou, Malik, and Jou smiled widely, while Bakura and Marik settled for smug smirks as they stood up to face him.

The three of them stood there for several long moments, as the albino and the blonde stared into the ruby depths of the boy opposite them. Yami held the two's gazes for as long as he could without blinking, before smirking and holding out his hand, palm up. Bakura and Marik took one look and smirked, before putting both their hands on top of his face down, allowing the ruby-eyed Egyptian to grasp both their wrists tightly, before letting go with a fist bump. (1)

"Long time no see, buddy," Bakura intoned wryly, Marik nodding giddily. Yami smiled wistfully.

"It has been a long time, hasn't it, Baku-Baku?" he asked nonchalantly, walking past a suddenly thunderous-looking Bakura to sit beside Jou. The albino whirled around, russet-colored eyes glinting dangerously.

"I thought I told you never to call me that again!" he growled, bristling. Marik chortled behind him, hand covering his mouth. Yami chose to ignore him, instead starting to eat the food given to him by Ryou in an almost dainty manner, eyes half-lidded with boredom. "Hey! Answer me when I'm talking to – mmph!"

Yami had picked up a chunk of unrecognizable gunk with his chopsticks and shoved it into Bakura's mouth with unerring speed and accuracy. The albino's eyes widened and he spat the food out, coughing and sputtering incoherently as Marik mirthfully thumped him on the back. Yami simply withdrew his chopsticks and wiped them off with his napkin before returning to his meal, which only served to infuriate the white-haired teen even more.

"I see you're cockiness hasn't left you," he muttered, settling down beside Ryou. Yami shot him a passive glance before his gaze returned to his tray, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. This was the first time he had interacted with these people since 'the incident', and Yami was suddenly feeling rather self-conscious of the unusually friendly words that had spewed from his lips in a moment of weakness. The rest of the table up until now had simply sat their watching the events unfold with amusement and curiosity. It was obvious to them that the three had known each other long before.

"So," Jou started, turning to look warily at Yami. "Why'd the doctors suddenly decide to let you out?"

Yami paused in his eating to turn towards Jou slowly, his red eyes unblinking. The blonde repressed the urge to shiver as those blood-red orbs met his own.

"They decided…" Yami trailed off; it felt rather strange to communicate with others again, especially since only this morning his mind had all but given out on him. Not to mention that his vocabulary was really only as advanced as a ten-year-old's. "They decided that…I should have a second chance…see if I…still had any…behavior…problems."

Ryou nodded slowly. "That makes sense. After all, they can't really expect you to get better by being locked up in a stuffy prison cell all day."

Yami looked down, brows furrowed. Ryou's words had mildly disturbed him. Did the doctors really expect him to 'get better', as the kind albino had put it? But how could he, when the events from that night still constantly resurfaced in his dreams?

The buzzer rang. The loud sound caused Yami to leap out of his seat with a yelp, his eyes shifting around wildly. Malik put a reassuring hand on his shoulder to calm him down, explaining that it was only the lunch bell. Yami visibly relaxed, though his shoulders were still tense, before Marik grasped his wrist and led him out of the cafeteria.

The odd group of teens slowly made their way to the recreation room, chatting and laughing like there was no tomorrow. Yami felt distinctly out of place; he constantly glanced at his surroundings at the patients and employees passing by, most of who either double-backed or gave him odd glances every time they passed him. When they entered the Rec Room, however, Yami couldn't help but stare.

When he was a boy, Yami had remembered the room to be very plain. There had been a few chess tables, several decks of cars, and one really childish arcade game where you pushed a button every time you saw a frog. Now, however, it was completely different. There was a pool table, with attendants standing by to make sure the patients didn't beat each other up with the sticks, an air hockey machine, and even a television with video game controllers lying in front of it. In spite of this, however, the room didn't seem overly crowded; if anything, it was bigger than Yami remembered it to be. Had the hospital really changed that much?

The others had stopped when they realized that their friend was no longer following him. Yami blinked and shook his head irately to clear it of thoughts, and made to go join the others. He had hardly taken a step when something large charged into him from behind, sending him sprawling onto the worn-out carpet.

"Hey, watch where you're going, freak!" a gruff voice sounded from above him. Yami sat up, dazed, before turning to glare at the man who had knocked him over. His gaze faltered, however, as he took in the person's large girth. The man was easily three times Yami's rather diminutive size, with coarse black hair hanging over his beady black eyes, which were almost completely obscured by thick eyebrows. When the person saw who it was he bumped into, he sneered.

"Well, well, well, what do you we have here?" he piped up. By this time the entire room was staring at the pair, and even the nurses didn't make a move to stop what was sure to be a brawl. "It's the little freak who lives in room 666, am I right?"

Yami glared at him from his place on the ground, refusing to speak. He _really_ didn't like this man; his gruff voice reminded Yami too much of his father's.

"Well? Hey, shrimp, answer me when I'm talkin' to you!" the bully growled, and in one fell swoop he reached down and grasped the front of Yami's shirt with his large, beefy hand. Yami gasped as he was hoisted almost two feet into the air, but he still refused to speak.

"Tsh," the man huffed. "Well, then, what happened to the little tyke who was rumored to be sharing your room? Haven't seen him in a while – did you kill him like you did the other guy?"

Yami's eyes widened fractionally, and his glare increased tenfold, but his lips remained firmly pressed together. Behind him, Bakura, Marik, and Jou were being held back by Ryou and Malik, and all five were glaring harshly at the bully.

"Well? Did you cut him up into little pieces and feed him to the crows outside your window? Or better yet, maybe you had a little fun with him before-"

Yami was no longer listening; the second his harasser had said the word 'fun', blood started roaring in his ears. The edges of his vision filled with a red haze, and he bared his teeth in a snarl. He raised his arm and pulled back his fist, before thrusting it forward with all his might, delivering to the bully a mean right hook. The man dropped him, clutching his face in pain, but barely had time to recover as Yami pounced on him with all the ferocity and grace of a panther.

By now the audience was frantic. Whispers and murmurs sounded around the fighting duo. Words like 'they should never have let him out' and 'he really _is_ dangerous' and 'poor Ushio's got himself into a fix this time' were scattered about the room. By now, Bakura, Marik, and Jou had stopped struggling and were staring at the scene with glee (Bakura), anticipation (Marik), and shock (Jou). Ryou and Malik could only stare in horror.

In the few seconds it took for one to analyze this scene, Yami already had the bully pinned face down on the ground and was straddling his back, one hand keeping a firm and painful hold on the brute's arms, the other smacking the poor man upside the head again and again.

"Don't – you – _dare_! Don't – you –_ dare_ – talk – about – Yugi – like – that – you – _bastard_!" Yami snarled with each blow. The bully's eyes were streaming and his nose was still bleeding from the demon boy's first punch, and he begged pitifully for mercy.

"ENOUGH! WHAT IN THE NAME OF HEAVEN IS GOING ON HERE?" a voice boomed from the doorway, and all heads turned to see a very angry Seto Kaiba standing in the doorway. His cold blue eyes were bright with fury, and they were fixated on the duo in the middle of the room. Yami's eyes were wide, and resembled a deer caught in headlights. The bully, on the other hand, seemed relieved that the smaller teen had stopped hitting him.

"Atemu Sennen, what is the meaning of this?" Seto intoned icily, glaring at the teen through a fringe of chestnut hair. Yami glared at him defiantly, before hopping off of his victim and walking over to the head doctor, making sure to bring his heel down harshly on the man's fingers as he did so.

Before Yami could say anything in his defense, however, another voice cut in.

"Please, Dr. Kaiba!" Ryou exclaimed, running over to stand beside Yami. "It was in self-defense. Ushio started it! He insulted our friend!"

"Be that as it may, Mr. Bakura," Seto replied tonelessly. "Mr. Sennen here was released on the condition that he would display no more violent behavior towards the other patients. He has broken that rule and must pay the consequences."

Yami's eyes had widened in shock. _Damn it all! _He had just blown his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, all because he had let his temper get the best of him. He resisted the urge to hang his head, however; he would not look like a miserable child in front of all these people. Instead, he met the head doctor's gaze steadily and defiantly, and thought he saw a spark of something unrecognizable in his eyes.

Seto Kaiba, against his better judgment, was impressed. Instead of backing down and bowing and begging forgiveness like he had expected him to, Atemu Sennen simply met his gaze head on without flinching – something no man or woman had ever done before. It seemed that this boy wasn't the least intimidated by him at all, or if he was, he didn't show it. Seto had to admit to himself that the kid had balls, if nothing else.

"I'm sorry boys, but hospital protocol states that—"

"The hell with the damn protocol! Ol' Yams 'ere was provoked – he can't be punished for that!" a familiar voice joined the conversation, one that sounded like music to the doctor's ears. Katsuya Jounouchi had stalked up to Ryou and Yami, giving the doctor his best glare. Seto thought it made him look rather like a golden retriever protecting its young; it was simply adorable.

"Be that as it may, Mr. Jounouchi," Seto replied, forcing himself to sound cold. "I'm afraid that—"

"Come on, man! Pull the stick out of yer ass!" Jou exclaimed, cutting of the doctor once again. "Give Yams another chance! It's his first day, and Ushio deserved it! He insulted Yugi! He insulted my best bud! Heck, I would have done the same as Yami, and you sure as hell wouldn't stick _me_ back in confinement, wouldya?"

Seto was stuck, and he knew it. The stoic brunette knew that he couldn't possibly deny his precious puppy, but at the same time, he had a reputation to uphold.

_When have you ever cared what people thought about you? _A wry voice sounded in the back of his mind, and Seto mentally chuckled. Ah hell, there were already rumors flying all over the place about his involvement with the asylum, so one more black mark on his resumé couldn't hurt. Not like anyone would have the guts to speak against him anyways, at least.

"Very well," he conceded. Jou, Ryou, and Yami looked up, surprised. All three had been sure that Yami would be carted off to his room again. Seto glared at the sight of their surprised expressions. "I will let this slide, as it is your first day. You probably need to…adapt. But this is a warning, Mr. Sennen. If this happens again I will be forced to lock you back up." He then turned his glare at the still prone Ushio. "Mr. Sakibara, this is not a playground. Please refrain from degrading the other patients. That is also a warning. Now get yourself to the infirmary and see that this does not happen again."

With that, the esteemed businessman pivoted on his heel and walked briskly out the room, his white doctor's coat flowing behind him.

Yami, Ryou, Malik, Marik, and Bakura let out sighs of relief. The former turned to thank his blonde friend, but Jou was still staring after the doctor's retreating figure, a silly grin on his face.

"Jou? _Jou._ JOU?"

Said blonde merely sighed dreamily. "Ain't he the greatest? I knew he'd let you off da hook!"

Ryou only shook his head exasperatedly. Malik face-palmed. Marik and Bakura snickered behind their hands, while Yami simply stared at Jou with wide eyes.

* * *

Yugi returned from school that day to find a letter addressed to him in the mail.

_Dear Mr. Yugi Mutou,_

_This letter is to inform you that visiting hours for the Domino Mentaru Shuuyoujo are from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM on weekends. There are a certain six people who would be very happy to have your company. _

_Sincerely,_

_Shadi Ishtar, Ph.D_

_Domino Mentaru Shuuyoujo_

Yugi stared at the word 'six' in confusion. _Six_ people? But confined patients weren't allowed to have…

For the first time in days, Yugi smiled.

* * *

(1) Um, I'm not sure exactly WHAT those gangster people do when they see each other aside from a fist bump...so pretend that they did this really cool secret handshake or something, 'kay?

**Darkie: **Once again, apologies for the long wait. I had...STAR Testing...which SUX ASS, since I didn't know half the stuff on the History section since our teacher is UBER slow and talks about NOTHING for half the period every day. Um...also I was lazy. Yeah. As you can see from my funky avatar, I'm going through a 'Bleachtard phase', since it is impossible to resist the awesomeness that is Kurosaki Ichigo.

I also find that I am naturally a very sarcastic (and not very witty) person, and it tends to show in my writing by way of twisted humor. For example, the whole 'Yami falls off his bed', 'Yami sticks chopsticks in Bakura's mouth (inspired by Furuba, since I heart Sohma Yuki), and Yami PWNing Ushio, who I forgot the last name of, if he ever had one. On second thought, Ushio is probably his last name...but oh well. 'Sakibara' is just a play on a classmates name, 'Sakakibara', so ya.

Also, midway through these Author's Notes, my computers Parental Control just busted on me, so I ran out of time, hence the 10:00 PM update. Yeah, I know, I got PARENTAL CONTROL on my computer, which means I'm limited to two hours a day, three hours on weekends...isn't that so sad?

On the bright side, I'm officially fourteen years old, which means I'm technically old enough to actually be writing and reading this kind of shit. xD Also, did anyone else bust a gut laughing over LK's 'Leather Pants' video? When I first saw it on my 'Subscriptions' list, I was like, 'Oh boy, what did he do this time?' And then Malik started singing "OH-OH-OH-OOOOOOOH-etc, etc," and I fell off my chair. I watched it ten times in a row, and I'm NOT exaggerating. Also, Episode 47 was awesome. Noah sounds creepy though.


	11. Chapter 11

**Darkie: **Fourteen-month hiatus? I have absolutely NO IDEA what you're talking about. :D

**Disclaimer: **Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi

**Warning: **The following chapter was pulled out of Yami-no-Tamashii's bony ass in the time span of approximately one hour. Any spelling mistakes or grammar errors are entirely due to this. If you have problems, please point them out KINDLY in a review, so as not to evoke a mental breakdown from said authoress.

* * *

"Tell me about your family life, Atemu-kun. What was it like before the incident?"

"My parents…they were both very kind people. Mother was the most beautiful woman I ever knew, and Father…he used to be a good man."

"'Used to be'?"

"…When I was around seven years old…Father lost his job. He…changed. He started staying out late, and would come home in the middle of the night drunk out of his mind. He'd beat Mother. I could always hear them from my room…her screams…they were terrible."

"Anything else you want to talk about?"

"…"

"Well, I think that's enough for today, Atemu-kun," Isis said briskly, shuffling her papers. "I'm very impressed with you. You've made lots of progress." She smiled at him warmly, but Atemu didn't return the expression, instead choosing to gaze down at his laps, hands fidgeting slightly.

"Can I go now, Ishizu-san?" Yami asked quietly.

"Of course you may. I expect you back here in two days at the same time, Atemu-kun," Ishizu told him gently. Yami nodded and rose from his seat, leaving the room hastily. As soon as the door shut behind him, Ishizu let out a sigh and slumped in her seat, reaching up to rub her temples.

"After all this time…the boy may very well be innocent after all," the Egyptian woman murmured softly. Blue eyes flickered to the photo on her desk, depicting herself smiling next to a woman with flowing blonde hair and vibrant crimson eyes. "He really is your son, isn't he…Sunahime?" (1)

* * *

Yugi fidgeted slightly as he picked at his food, glancing up periodically at his grandfather, who was humming as he shuffled about the kitchen. It had been an entire three weeks since he had received the letter from Dr. Shadi, and Yugi had yet to bring it up to his grandpa. To be honest, he wasn't sure how to breach the subject.

"_Hey Jii-chan, would you be so kind as to take me back to the asylum so I can visit the friends I made there? One of them also happens to be my Code Red roommate who I just so happen to be in love with."_

Yeah…no.

Yugi let out a despairing sigh as he set down his fork, staring sadly down at the tempura – his favorite. His grandfather frowned as he stopped his rummaging, walking over to his grandson.

"Is something wrong, Yugi?" Solomon asked, bushy eyebrows furrowed. "You've been picking at your food for the past ten minutes. Is it not up to your standards?"

"No, it's just…I have a lot on my mind, is all," Yugi shot a strained smile in his grandfather's direction, but the old man didn't seem to buy it. Solomon sighed and set down the towel he had been using the wipe the glasses.

"Okay, Yugi, I've had enough," Solomon stated sternly. Yugi looked up in surprise, violet eyes wide. "You've been sulking ever since you got out of that hospital!"

"I haven't been _sulking_ – " Yugi protested, only to be cut off by a harsh glare.

"Yes you have, and don't you deny it!" the old man reprimanded. "What on earth is wrong? Shouldn't you be glad that you're finally out of that place? You can go to school, make friends – "

"I already have friends, Jii-chan!" Yugi blurted out, only to gasp and slap a hand over his mouth. Solomon paused mid-rant.

"Friends? Why haven't I met them then?" he asked, hands on his hips. Yugi averted his gaze, unwilling to answer. Understanding dawned on the elder Mutou. "You don't mean – you made friends at the _asylum_!"

"I…they're not bad people, Jii-chan. I just…I just want to visit them some time," Yugi said quietly, picking up his fork and stabbing his tempura furiously. "They're my friends…my nakama."

Solomon was silent for several long moments, and Yugi flinched, sliding down in his seat. What would he say? Would he be disappointed? Angry? If there was one thing Yugi hated doing, it was disappointing his family.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Solomon spoke.

"I can't say I approve," the old man began, and Yugi cringed. "But…it's your life. And you've always been a good judge of character." Yugi's head shot up, unwilling to dare hope. "So if you say these friends of yours are good people – then I suppose I can let you off."

"Jii-chan…you don't mean - ?" Yugi asked excitedly, leaping out of his seat. Solomon smiled at his grandson proudly.

"I'm sure we can find time to visit these friends of yours this weekend."

"_Yosshaa!"_ Yugi hollered, punching the air with one hand. Solomon's smile turned evil.

"That is, of course, if you pass this week's math test."

"What? That's not fair! _Jii-chaaaan!"_

* * *

Seto Kaiba was not a happy man. Now, one might think, _what on earth does he have to be unhappy about?_ He had a huge mansion, a nice car, and at least a score of servants at his beck and call, not to mention his own hospital. Despite of this, however, Seto Kaiba was not pleased. Not in the least. And for once, it had nothing to do with the blond-haired, chocolate-eyed patient in his psychiatric ward.

"I'm afraid I don't understand the point of your concern. Sennen has not shown any violent tendencies – "

"But that's just it, Dr. Kaiba," the member of the Board of Directors interjected, looking rather nervous at the death glare being sent his way. "The rest of us are…concerned, for the wellbeing of the other patients. Your decision to release such a dangerous patient is questionable and irrational."

"Are you calling me incapable of making rational decisions?" Seto growled. The man in front of him swallowed nervously and pulled at his tie, obviously intimidated despite the fact that Seto was half his age.

"Well, some relatives of the patients have received word, and the Sakibara family especially is furious at how their son was treated. They are demanding that Sennen be put back in confinement, and are threatening to file a lawsuit if things don't go their way. As things stand now, the evidence isn't exactly in our favor," the man said. Seto sighed and leaned back in his leather chair, running a hand through his hair. Who knew that one patient could bring so much chaos?

"Just ignore them for now," Seto ordered. The man looked ready to protest, but was silenced by a harsh blue glare. "Dr. Ishizu has reported that she is making positive progress on Sennen's mental health. As a doctor, I cannot let the chance to possibly fix this boy's life slide. Surely you understand, as you were once a doctor yourself."

The man's expression softened slightly. "Well, yes, I do, but it is a risky gamble. The Sakibara's aren't known to back down easily."

"They are also not known as Domino's most _model_ citizens," Seto stated sarcastically. "The father himself has gotten into trouble with the law in the past. We could use that against him. For now, we have nothing to worry about. If worst comes to worst, I can always buy my way out. Is that all?"

The man fidgeted. "Sir, if you don't mind my rudeness…might I ask _why_ you are willing to do so much to help this boy?"

Seto's eyes softened as he looked away. "I'm doing this as a favor to a friend. Don't think too much into it. Also, you didn't hear this from me, but there is a chance that Sennen was falsely convicted of the crimes he was said to have committed ten years ago." Ignoring the board member's gobsmacked expression, Seto waved him away. "Now leave. I have no more business with you."

"Of course, Dr. Kaiba," the man said hastily, bowing out of the room. Seto sighed. No doubt his last statement about Sennen would be all over the hospital staff by sundown. He sometimes wondered why he even bothered with these fools and this job. An image of a grinning blond appeared unbidden in his mind. Oh yeah…_that_ was why.

Within minutes after the board member left, there was another knock on his office door. Seto resisted the urge to groan and called for the visitor to enter. To his surprise, the bald head of his fellow doctor stepped into the room.

"Dr. Shadi. How can I help you?" Seto asked out of formality more than any real desire to be of assistance. Shadi seemed to sense this, and rolled his eyes.

"I just wanted to ask a favor," the Egyptian said. Seto cocked an eyebrow. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like this. "The police case on Atemu Sennen – do you think you could 'persuade' them to bring it up again for reexamination?"

Seto inwardly sighed in defeat. He should have known. _Think of Jou_, he thought to himself. If Sennen was cleared, it would make Jou happy. _This was for Jou._ Seto repeated over and over again in his head as he sent the classified email to a certain man in his private force.

"I'll get Mahaado on it. You remember him, don't you?" Seto asked in a bored tone. Shadi smiled.

"How could I forget that man? His younger sister made sure no one would ever forget them." Seto snorted. That Mana girl sure was a handful. Seto remembered the last time she had visited the ward for 'community service'. Half of the patients had relapses thanks to her overzealous nature.

"Mahaado happens to be one of the best detectives in the country," Seto said. "If anyone can crack this case, he can."

"That last line sounded rather cliché, didn't it?" Shadi asked in amusement. Seto glared at him, unable to deny the statement. He knew he should have taken an extra cup of coffee that morning. His head felt like it was about to explode.

"You're lucky you're one of the best in the field, or I would have fired you by now," Seto muttered murderously under his breath. Shadi simply smirked on his way out the door. Seto finally let out a long breath and leaned back, determined to take a well-deserved nap before some other imbecile barged into his office.

He was just beginning to fall into the abyss of dreamland when his laptop let out a loud DING, signifying an email. Had Mahaado already received his message? Seto squinted at the screen. No, the sender of the email was someone named, 'Akunadin S.'. Seto sat up and clicked on the pop up window. After reading the rather short message, the twenty-two-year-old was very tempted to slam his head on the desk, and only restrained himself due to pride (Kaiba's did _not_ bang their heads on solid surfaces). Muttering curses under his breath, Seto got out of his seat and stalked out of the room.

Screw hospital protocol; he really needed a drink.

* * *

**To: **Seto Kaiba

**From: **Akunadin S.

_Dr. Seto Kaiba,_

_It has come to my attention that the son of my late brother, Akunankanon Sennen, has been residing at your hospital for the past ten years. As Akunankanon's younger brother, he named me Atemu's legal guardian should something happen to him and his wife. As a traveler of sorts, and one who does not fully trust in such things as science or medicine, I believe it would be prudent of me to take the boy out of your custody to join me on my travels. As his uncle, I myself will decide what to do with him after the adoption papers are processed. _

_I will be paying a visit to your hospital later this week to check up on my nephew. If all goes well, he will return to his homeland (Egypt) with me, and you will not have to trouble yourself with him again._

_Thank you for your understanding,_

_Akunadin Sennen_

* * *

(1) Sunahime – Sand Princess. Sand = Desert = Egypt. I deserve an award for originality.

* * *

**Darkie: **Over FOUR HUNDRED reviews? You guys are too good to me. I don't deserve it. This chapter was pathetically short, but I'm trying to get back into the hang of things. Yu-Gi-Oh! is no longer my passion, I'm afraid. I've jumped on the _BLEACH_ bandwagon and can't seem to get off. (Ichigo Kurosaki is so darn sexy) _-is shot-_

Expect irregular updates from now on. I've kind of forgotten everything about this story, and had to cross-check so many times just to get this chapter out. This was filler more than anything. I know I suck, you don't have to tell me.

It's been TWO years since I started this thing - I'm going into SOPHOMORE year now in high school. The fuck is wrong with me? If you want the short story:

Once, there was a Chinese American girl named Yami-no-Tamashii. She got into the wonderful world of fanfiction in the seventh grade, and finally got the balls to write a Yaoi story featuring Yu-Gi-Oh characters in June of 2009 when she was in the eighth grade. Unfortunately, she failed to realize the time and effort it would take to write such a long and complicated story, and eventually got bored of it and started procrastinating and reading _BLEACH_ fanfiction instead of Yu-Gi-Oh! ones. Finally, after a long year of ignoring her stories and not giving a shit, she received a few stray reviews from late readers which created an uncomfortable feeling in her chest. This feeling was eventually recognized as the evil being known as GUILT. Therefore, two days before she is to enter the Sophomore year, Yami-no-Tamashii decided to pull a new chapter right out of her ass and post it in an attempt to slay this terrible beast known as GUILT.

However, Yami-no-Tamashii continues to hold a deep dark secret: she is being possessed by the demon known as PROCRASTINATION, and such a thing is incurable without hiring countless voodoo witch doctors to exorcise it from her being. However, since her laziness contributes to her pitifully small allowance, Yami-no-Tamashii does not have the money to hire such witch doctors and instead her father has to attempt to beat the laziness out of her using heavy two-inch thick SAT Math prep books. Unfortunately, this does not contribute to her fanfiction-writing in any way, shape, or form, which will result in more procrastination in the future.

It's a vicious cycle.

Review! :D


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: "This story will get back on the road," she said. "As soon as I get back into the hang of things," she said. "I'll update in a couple of months," she said.**

**LIES. ALL LIES. I'm a dirty, dirty liar.**

**Gomenasai. /bows/**

**The following is unbeta-ed since all my YGO fanfiction friends probably hate me right now, lulz. No one to put up with my bullshit. :'D**

**The following chapter is brought to you by Fifty Shades of Grey, which is a prime example of why people SHOULD NOT write Twilight fanfiction. That is some weird shit, folks. Especially when you open it up to a random page in the middle of the bookstore and the two main characters are in the process of removing each other's clothes. Awkward...how exactly did this beat Harry Potter as the fastest selling novel ever? #hardcorePotterheadcoughcough**

**Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. (it's been so long I almost forgot his name. /FAIL)**

* * *

"_Have a safe journey, my friend,"_ the tanned man said to his companion in Arabic, waving a hand in farewell. The other man nodded curtly, before turning and barking an order in fast Arabic to the taxi driver. Within seconds, the black and white cab zoomed off towards the city.

Inside the rattling vehicle, Akunadin sighed and looked down at the picture in his hand. It was an old picture, as the quality was a far cry from the high tech digital cameras they had today, and depicted a tanned young boy of about five years old, with spiky black hair with a crimson tint and blond bangs. Those crimson eyes were unmistakable – this was Sunahime's and Akunankanon's son. The bearded man leaned his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes, thinking back to when he had first found out about his brother's death. Surprisingly, it had not been that long ago; only a year at the most. The two brothers had never been particularly close, so Akunadin thought nothing of it when the elder didn't contact him for nigh on ten years.

It was when he tried to mail an old trinket of Akunankanon's – that the former had been particularly attached to, but thought it to have been lost during his move to Japan – that Akunadin had finally been informed of his brother's untimely end. He and his Japanese wife, Sunahime, found dead in their home? Akunadin had mourned for a few days, but not heavily, except now the Millennium Puzzle he had been attempting to send his brother was now taking up unnecessary space in his home. The man decided to carry on with his life of traveling and collecting.

That is, until last week, when he had reached the astounding news from a traveling acquaintance of his. The man, Karim, had been touring in Japan with his wife when they had uncovered some surprising information. Sunahime and Akunankanon's son was alive! The thought had never crossed Akunadin's mind – if the parents had been killed, he had assumed that the child had been as well. He was glad to hear the news, but also uneasy for an inexplicable reason. That reason was made clear when Karim had told him something even more shocking – the boy had been put in a madhouse for the murder of his own parents!

Akunadin had smelled something fishy as soon as he heard this. He had only ever seen young Atemu once in his life, when the boy was three. The baby boy had been so sweet and charming – Akunadin refused to believe that he could have killed his own parents, let alone at the tender age of – how old had he been? Seven? Nine? It was utterly ludicrous. Akunadin was a firm believer in the ancient traditions, and this news only served to convince him even further of the inadequacy of modern doctors. He had sent an email to the hospital coordinator at once, and now he was finally on his way to Japan.

Akunadin sighed and looked at the picture in his hands again. Atemu's vibrant crimson eyes stared straight back at him, unmarred by the horrors he was soon to experience. It was the only picture he had on the boy, sent to him by Sunahime several years prior. How could things have gone so wrong for this once-happy family?

Closing his eyes, Akunadin let sleep overtake him. He lived in a rural area several kilometers outside of Luxor. It would take a while for him to get to the city.

* * *

"Wait a minute. You're saying that some Egyptian man claiming to be Atemu's estranged uncle has emailed you that he's coming to take him out of our custody?" Shadi asked incredulously, blue eyes wide. Seto sighed and rubbed his temples.

"I believe I have repeated the story several times already, Dr. Shadi," he responded testily. "But yes, that is exactly what I am saying."

Shadi plopped down in his chair in a daze. "But…that doesn't make any sense. Why on earth would he only find out about this _now_? It's been over ten years!"

"I will admit that his story is questionable. I've responded to the email asking him to bring documents verifying his relation to the boy," Seto explained. "He'll be arriving this Saturday. I just hope Atemu and his friends don't cause too much of a fuss over this."

"That's too much to hope for," Shadi muttered under his breath, but Seto heard him clearly and grunted.

"Why don't you go break the news to Atemu? He's probably with Katsuya and the others right now, so they'll be able to calm him down if he reacts badly," Seto suggested. "I have work to do."

"Since when do you ever do work?" Shadi muttered, but he was out the door before Seto could shoot him a scathing comment.

* * *

"Got any twos?"

"Go fish."

"Goddammit!"

"Haha, in your face, Jou! Hey Bakura, got any fives?"

"…BLAST YOU!"

"Hey, watch where you're throwing those cards!"

"Oh boo hoo, did ickle Malik get a paper cut?"

"I'LL SHOW YOU 'ICKLE MALIK' YOU LITTLE - !"

"Guys! Calm down! Malik, put down the pillow. 'Kura, stop teasing Malik."

"Hmmph. Fine."

"Fine. Only because you asked, Ryou."

"HAHAHA! Ryou's blushin'!"

_Thump._

"Shut up, Jou."

"Hey! You just told me to put down my pillow and now _you're_ throwing pillows? No fair, Ryou!"

"Malik-pretty is cute when he's mad."

"_Now_ who's blushing? Kekeke…"

"SHUT UP BAKURA!"

"Um…"

"Guys, I think we're scaring Yami."

"Oh! Sorry 'bout that Yams."

"It's…fine. I don't mind."

"It's your turn anyways."

"Okay…uh...Jou, do you have any twos?"

"What? Aw COME ON! I SHOULDA ASKED YOU LAST TIME!"

"Sorry…just playing the game."

"Ahem."

"Dr. Shadi? What are you doing here?"

"I need to speak with Sennen. Come with me."

* * *

Yami followed the doctor to the corner of the room. He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. What did the man want with him? Had he changed his mind about letting him out? Was he angry with him? Was he going to jail for beating up Ushio? All these questions whirled around in Yami's head, making him dizzy and anxious.

"I suppose you're wondering why I've called you here," Shadi said rhetorically. Yami nodded.

"Um…is there something wrong, Dr. Shadi?" he asked nervously. Shadi sighed, reaching up to rub the bridge of his nose.

"Let's see…how to put this. Do you recall having any relatives, Sennen? Aside from your parents, that is," he asked. Yami gazed at him in confusion, eyes clouding for a moment as he tried to remember.

"I…don't remember. I might have. But I must have met them when I was really young. Why?" he asked curiously.

"Dr. Kaiba just received an email from someone named 'Akunadin Sennen'," he explained. "Ring any bells?"

Yami's face scrunched up in concentration as he tried to remember. This man obviously shared his surname, but other than that, 'Akunadin' wasn't ringing any bells. It was reminiscent of his father's name, of course, but if he was Egyptian, that was no surprise. Shadi took his prolonged silence as a 'no'.

"This man emailed me claiming to be your uncle. He's your father's older brother," Shadi said. Yami's eyes widened in shock. "I know this may come as a shock, but he's coming on Saturday to take you away from here and back to Egypt with him. This is a great opportunity. You'll be able to start over, get a new life…" Shadi trailed off, unsure of what else to say. Yami's lack of reaction was disturbing, but then again, this was a place for the mentally disturbed.

"I…need time to think," Yami said finally. Shadi nodded.

"I understand that this is a shock. But this will be good for you. You'll finally get out of this place. Isn't that what you've wanted these past ten years?" Shadi asked.

Yami didn't respond.

* * *

Jou, Malik, Ryou, Bakura, and Marik watched as Yami walked out of the recreation room. His head was bowed and his shoulders were slumped. Malik glared at Shadi, who was walking back towards them.

"What did you say to him? You didn't lock him up again, did you?" he accused angrily, trying to stand up, but Jou held him back. Shadi shook his head.

"I'm not putting him back into confinement. I just had some news for him, that's all," he explained.

"What kind of news?" Bakura asked suspiciously, crossing his arms as he leaned against Ryou. Shadi shook his head.

"I'm afraid it's none of your business," he responded, glaring at Jou when the blond opened his mouth to retort. "I am not allowed to speak about a patient's personal matters to other patients, Jounouchi-kun. Sennen just needs some time to think. He heard something that shocked him greatly."

"Whatever you say," Malik muttered, eying the door where Yami had disappeared. "I just hope he's alright."

* * *

_Blood…so much blood. It was lapping at his sneakers, seeping into his socks, staining his clothes. _

_Onii-chan! Help…me…_

_Amane-chan! Hold on, the ambulance is coming! Don't close your eyes, please!_

_I'm sorry…Onii-chan…_

_No! Amane? AMANE! _

_Blood…there was so much of it. So much blood…I can't breathe…I'm drowning…someone…help. Amane!_

Ryou bolted up from his pillow, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. He sighed when he realized it was just another nightmare, and glanced over at his roommate, who was still sleeping. Then again, Jounouchi could sleep through just about anything. Groaning at the headache that suddenly erupted behind his eyes, Ryou reached over to his bedside table, where a bottle of pills sat innocently. Popping two in his mouth, Ryou relaxed as the drug did its work.

_How long has it been? Since mother and Amane…_

Three years. Three whole years he had been here, visiting psychiatrists and taking disgusting medicine. Ryou would admit that the anti-depressant pills helped to dull the nightmares so that they weren't so vivid, but he couldn't help but still resent anything the doctors gave him. His psychiatrist was a kind man, but Ryou couldn't help but feel as though he was constantly patronizing him. He didn't _really_ understand what he was going through. All he did was spout encouraging words that had been rehearsed hundreds of times before.

It had been two years since Ryou's father had last visited. His father was an enthusiastic archaeologist, and always had been. But before mother and Amane had died, he at least spent time with his family. Ever since their deaths, he had grown distant. Ryou knew that the man resented him because he had survived while his mother and sister hadn't, no matter how much he wished it had been the other way around. Over the first year he spent at the hospital, his father's visits had been semi-frequent – perhaps once ever few weeks or so. At the start of his second year, they had stopped altogether, and Ryou only ever heard him through a telephone. He always asked the same questions. "How are things?" "Are you getting any better?" "I miss you." All hollow, hollow words. At the end of the second year, he stopped calling altogether, most likely having lost himself in his work. But Ryou stopped caring so much then, because at that point, Bakura and Marik had arrived at the mental ward.

Bakura had been everything Ryou wished he could have been. He was strong, brave, funny, and kind (when he wanted to be, that is). Despite his mean streak and his sadistic nature, Ryou couldn't help but be drawn to him. He had shot him shy looks from across the room for weeks before the other albino had finally noticed. Ryou remembered it as though it were yesterday. It had been dinner time, and he was eating alone with Jou, his only other friend in the asylum aside from Malik. But by that time, Malik had been spending more and more time with Bakura and Marik, which Ryou suspected had something to do with the latter, who was always giving his friend googly eyes that he was painfully oblivious to. That night during dinner, however, Malik had come over to their table, with Bakura and Marik in tow. Bakura had taken a seat beside Ryou, and the latter couldn't have quelled his blush if he had lost all the blood in his body. They started talking, and Ryou found that Bakura was much more than the tough punk he showed to everyone else. The elder had expressed an interest in fortune telling and the occult offhandedly, and Ryou had snatched up the chance for a compelling conversation like a bird did a worm. They had become fast friends. Even so, however, Ryou had never told the other of his crush. Though they were now close and hung out every day, Ryou still felt as though he was watching the other from afar.

"_I _do_ notice him staring at you from time to time. Maybe he feels the same way."_

"_You think so?"_

His conversation with Yugi from a few weeks ago replayed in his head. Ryou frowned. Was Yugi right? Did Bakura stare at him? Ryou wouldn't know, since the other obviously would stare while he wasn't looking. What would Bakura see in someone as messed up as him?

Speaking of Yugi, Ryou wondered how he was doing. He couldn't help but feel slightly envious of the other boy. He had been the last of their group of friends to arrive, and yet he was still the first out. He must have been very strong in order to get past whatever happened to him. Ryou wished he had half the strength of mind Yugi did. And as for Yami…

Ryou wasn't really sure what to think of the supposedly dangerous patient. As far as he had seen, Yami was quiet, soft-spoken, and almost docile – a large contrast to what he had heard about him through the grapevine. Ryou wondered if his new behavior was due to Yugi's influence. The small teenager had the strange ability to make everyone act nicer around him; he was so innocent it was hard to be mean. Even Bakura and Marik had a soft spot for the young man. Ryou thought back to earlier that day when Dr. Kaiba had pulled Yami aside to speak to him. Yami had acted so strange, afterwards, and left the room without even saying good-bye. He hadn't come down for dinner earlier either. Ryou wondered what Dr. Kaiba said to him to make him act this way.

_It's probably none of my business_, he thought. _But I can tell Yami is sad without Yugi here. I wonder if Yugi will visit. Or maybe he's glad to finally be rid of his place._

Sighing, Ryou shook his head in a vain attempt to clear his troubled thoughts, before lying back down and closing his eyes.

Unbeknownst to him, his pale-haired crush was also awake a floor below, and was being plagued by memories much worse than anyone had been led to believe.

* * *

_You useless boy! Can't you do any__thing right?_

Bakura had lost count of how many times he had heard those words over the years. All through elementary school and up until high school, his parents had hated him. Bakura hadn't lied when he had told Ryou, Yugi, Malik, and Jou that he had been a troublemaker. But he hadn't told the whole truth either. His parents – wealthy business tycoons who cared more about their stocks than each other - never paid him the time of day unless it was to scold him, so Bakura turned to pranks and vandalism in order to attract the attention of others. He had Marik too, who had been having family problems of his own, and together they terrorized their classmates and teachers until the school board had finally had enough. They called Bakura's parents in for a private conference that Bakura hadn't been allowed to attend. When his parents came home, they had been furious. They yelled at him, called him a disgrace, and told him he would never amount to anything. Bakura had finally snapped. He nearly tore his vocal chords shouting at his parents. He through back everything they had done to him at their faces, called them terrible names, and even told them that they deserved to die. All throughout his rant, Bakura could see the fear mounting in his parents' eyes. They thought was a monster, a freak. Bakura had retreated to his room that night with a huff.

The next day, Bakura found his way out of the house blocked by two people in white coats. Doctors. They had told him that his parents had called them in to take him into custody, that he wasn't right in his mind, and that they could 'fix' him. Surprisingly, Bakura had done nothing. He just followed them out of his house with his belongings and into their van.

He had been joined by Marik a week later. According to the wild Egyptian, when Bakura hadn't shown up at school, Marik had thought the worst. He showed up in a rage at his parents' house and had torn into them with the fury of the gods. His parents, fearing that he was going to attack them, called the police and had him carted off as well. When it came to the choice of him being sent to the mental ward for "behavior correction" or juvenile hall, Marik's parents had chosen the latter. They were confident that their son would be out of the hospital in no time. But Marik purposefully played with his psychiatrists, driving two of them nuts and had to be switched several times until someone could handle his behavior. Bakura had been confused about the entire situation. Marik wasn't crazy – at least, not in the sense that they thought. So why was he still at the mental ward, a month after being committed?

"_I want to stay with you_," he had said to Bakura when he asked. When the albino had gaped at him in disbelief, the Egyptian shrugged. _"My parents won't miss me much. You're the one who needs me right now. So I'll stay until you're ready to leave."_

Bakura, in a rare display of emotion, had hugged the ever-loving crap out of his best friend.

Bakura hadn't told his psychiatrists yet, but his feelings of inadequacy and abandonment had long his faded over the past couple of years. The only reason was still letting himself be kept at the asylum was because he was seventeen. He had Marik had already devised their plan, which would be to leave the asylum once they came of age. That way, they wouldn't have to worry about having to go back to live with their parents again. Bakura had wondered if he was still eligible to go to college, but then had decided that it wasn't for him. He'd probably end up as some social worker living in a dingy apartment building, but to him, anything was better than going home to his parents. Not to mention if he went back he wouldn't be able to see Ryou again. His parents would never let him visit a place like this.

Bakura also knew that Ryou fully intended on finishing school once he got out of the asylum. Bakura had considered doing that himself, but seeing as he would be older than all the other students, he dismissed the idea. He could live with being some gas station attendant or something until Ryou graduated. Then they could really get on with their lives – _whoa, slow down there Bakura. You're acting like Ryou will actually decide to stay with you._ Bakura was no fool. He knew Ryou harbored a crush on him, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel the same way. But the fact remained that their situation wasn't exactly normal. Not to mention Bakura still hadn't confessed to Ryou yet, or vice versa. The thought of him doing something as sappy as getting to his knees and proclaiming his undying love for someone, even if it was Ryou, was enough to make the albino gag. His pride simply wouldn't let him make the first move. Or maybe he was just afraid he had misinterpreted the boy all this time. Either way, Bakura had decided to wait for Ryou to confess first.

…Which didn't look like it would happen any time soon.

Then again, Bakura was a very patient person.

* * *

**A/N: ****I'm not even going to tell you when I'll update next, because I'll be lying. So just cross your fingers and hope it's soon. **

**Did I ever mention that I'm one of those people who believe in Akunadin's good side? I mean, he basically was already resolved to serve the Pharaoh for the rest of his life before Bakura came along and manipulated him by fueling the darkness inside him. So he's not going to be some evil bastard who'll abuse Yami, since I don't like writing that kind of stuff. He's going to try to help him, but he'll be kind of misguided since he thinks he knows best. **

**REVIEW! Just don't flame me for not updating. I have SATs to study for, dammit. And I'm ASIAN. So SATs are serious shit. And my future history teacher decided to give everyone a bajillion pages of summer homework that I have to finish by mid-July since I'll have to leave for art school and not be back until school starts. FML. The things I do for my nonexistent portfolio...**

******Thank you for reading and putting up with my lameness and procrastination. The good news is that I started reading some Yugioh again since I think I went through just about the entire IchiRuki and Yaoi Bleach fanfiction archive. /sobs/ Well, it was a Yugioh/HP crossover, but still. I tried searching for Puzzleshipping fanfiction to read but couldn't find any that suited my tastes, which explains the lack of Puzzleshipping in this chapter. I feel like I need to provide more background on the other characters while I figure out what to do with Yami and Yugi (I have a vague idea, actually, but I suck at planning ahead so don't count on it sticking around). So there you have it! The pasts of our two favorite not-really-albinos! I'm not even going for realism anymore. This is my magical Yugioh fanfiction world where random shit exists that should not exist and people don't get life in prison for murder. So hold in those comments of yours about my lack of knowledge about this stuff. This is fanfiction. Not meant to be particularly realistic.**

******Again, I apologize for any glaring grammar mistakes or typos. Well, not so much the grammar since there are probably about a million sentence fragments in there, but you know what I mean.**

******REVIEW!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Somebody call the media. This must be a new record. A new chapter out in _three days__? _IMPOSSIBRU! **_  
_

**I noticed I didn't even get twenty reviews this time, when it used to be like twenty to thirty each chapter. Q.Q #foreveralone**

**Granted, the spacing between the updates is shorter, but still, I am disappoint (even though it's my fault for not updating for such a long time T^T). I did see some new readers put me on their faves/alerts though, so howdy there! Consider yourselves lucky to have begun reading this _after_ my huge update funk. I'm thankful for your time (even though half of you didn't review COUGH COUGH)**

**This chapter's not as long as the last one, but I had to stop it there or it would be awkward. Also for cinematic effect because I'm taking trolling lessons from Tite Kubo. /shot/**

**On with the show!**

* * *

_He had an uncle. An _uncle!

Yami had been staring numbly at the opposite wall for the past several hours, the idea that he had another relative still whirling around in his head. He had tried several times to reach back into his memory for one of his father's brother – but had come up with nothing. He had probably been very young when the man had visited, if at all.

Yami wondered why it had taken this 'Akunadin' person so long to contact the hospital. He had been here for ten years, for Pete's sake! He made a note to ask the man when he arrived, but then froze. Had he really just subconsciously considered leaving with the man? A stranger who he didn't know?

_It would be nice though…to get out of here_, Yami thought wistfully, gazing up at the barred window in his room. _I could see the world…go to Egypt, my homeland! But what about…_

What about _Yugi?_

Yami thought back to the letter Yugi had sent to him. He had seemed unhappy in his letter; something about going to school and bullies. But surely that must have passed by now? Yugi must have made lots of new friends and was now having the time of his life. Without Yami. Without the asylum. He hadn't even visited yet. Yami knew that wasn't fair, as it had only been a few days, but he had thought that maybe Yugi cared about him enough to at least drop him a call. The hospital's number was right in the phone book. Had it not occurred to him?

_But you knew this would happen, didn't you?_ Yami asked himself bitterly. _He's forgotten you, just like everyone else._ Yami appreciated the company of the others. Jou, Malik, Ryou, Bakura, and Marik were great people and Yami did like them. But none of them came close to Yugi. To his wide violet eyes and angelic smile.

But was it really fair to either them if Yami chose to stay on the off chance he saw Yugi again? Yugi shouldn't have to be tied down to someone like Yami. He deserved to move on with his life – Yami knew that Yugi was destined for great things if he put his mind to it. Whereas Yami would never amount to anything. If anything, he would only hold Yugi back. And didn't Yami deserve some happiness as well? Even if that happiness might come without Yugi? The tanned boy knew that he would like Egypt – its warm sands and blazing sun. Just the thought of seeing his homeland with his own eyes was enough to make his skin tingle with excitement. But was it worth it? What if Yugi visited after he left? Yami would have missed his chance – but this 'Akunadin' thing was an amazing opportunity as well.

Groaning, Yami grasped at his hair. All this thinking was making his head hurt. He had to come to a decision soon. Saturday was the next day. His uncle would be here the next morning and Yami had to have an answer for him. If he even took 'no' for an answer.

Sighing, Yami looked up at the moon behind the bars of his window, and came to a decision.

* * *

Malik remembered the day his father died clearly. The memory was burned into his mind, unable to fade away. It had happened right in front of him. It had been his fault.

He and his father had been home alone that night. Ishizu had gone out shopping with mother, and had called that they would be returning home late after a movie. The young teen and his father had decided to have some 'manly bonding' time and watch a horror movie. Malik remembered exactly at which point in the movie they had been at when it happened. Just as the girl on the screen was about to get jumped by the serial killer, there was a loud knock on the door. Malik's father had paused the television and went to see who it had been. Malik remembered that his father had run back into the room without opening the front door, eyes wide and expression almost…fearful. Malik had never seen his father like this before.

"_Malik, go hide in the closet! Don't come out unless I say so!"_

"_But why?"_

"_Just do it, son! Don't ask questions!"_

Malik had done as he was told like a good thirteen-year-old son. He had curled up into the fetal position in the coat closet, and slid the closet door shut just as whoever was at the door broke it down. There was the sound of heavy boots in the hallway and a good deal of shouting. His father spoke to the men in fast Arabic. He sounded pleading and frightened. Malik remembered thinking that he never wanted to hear his father sound like that again.

"_Please, just give me more time!"_

"_We've given you enough time, Ishtar. It's time to pay up!"_

"_But I don't have the money!"_

"_Then you'll pay with your life!"_

Malik had slid the closet door open a tiny bit to peer at what was going on outside. What little Arabic he understood translated into a conversation that he knew wasn't going to end well. He watched, horrified, as his father had struggled with the burly men. Though his father had been quite adept at fighting, he was no match for three muscled henchmen from the Egyptian mafia. A single gunshot was all it took before his father fell to the ground. Malik could only watch, petrified, as the men looted his home, taking with them all of his mother's gold trinkets, his sister's jewelry, and his father's most prized possession, a gold Egyptian scepter with the eye of Horus on it.

_If only I had done something. I could have helped. I shouldn't have hid like a coward!_

Ishizu and his mother had come home to the scene of Malik kneeling shocked beside his father's dead body. He vaguely remembered the two screaming in horror, and his sister trying vainly to snap him out of his stupor. The funeral was held a week later. Malik hadn't attended.

It was only later that Malik found out that his father had had to borrow a lot of money from the Egyptian mafia back when they had lived in Egypt. After they had moved out of the country, his father had thought there was no need to acquire the money anymore. He hadn't thought that the mafia would follow them all the way to Japan.

The days after the 'incident', Malik was a shell of his former self. He didn't pay attention in school, and tried to ignore the whispers around him about what had happened to his family. But the gossip still bothered him, and one day he almost beat a boy to death for making crack about his father being part of the Yakuza. It had hit a little too close to home, and he had ended up sending the boy to the hospital with several broken ribs and a broken arm. The boy's parents had kicked up a fuss and Malik's mother had been forced to send him to the mental ward for behavior correction. Malik had been here ever since.

A year later, Malik found that Ishizu, who had been in college at the time of the 'incident', had switched her major to psychiatry and gotten a job at the asylum. While Malik, thankfully, hadn't ended up as one of her patients, she still took every chance possible to check in on him. Malik knew his sister did this because she cared for him, but he couldn't help but resent her constant presence. It had eased somewhat after she had started dating her coworker Shadi, but she still managed to check up on him at the most inconvenient times.

At least he had had Marik to help keep his mind off things the year Ishizu joined the hospital staff. He and Bakura had been a welcome distraction, and Malik couldn't help being drawn to their rowdy behavior, especially that of the former's. He had initially felt bad for leaving Ryou and Jou high and dry like that, but he'd quickly been distracted by the other Egyptian's mischievous mind and crooked grin. Malik remembered the surprise he felt when later on, Bakura had requested he introduce them to Ryou and Jou, placing special emphasis on the former's name. He'd gotten back together with his other two friends after that, and from then on the group had been nigh on inseparable.

Malik sighed. Marik had become a lot more forward lately in his affections, not that he was complaining. Something seemed to be bothering the elder Egyptian. Something he and Bakura shared. The two seemed a lot more eager to take their time, yet at the same time they seemed a lot more rushed. They talked faster, they insisted the group keep playing games longer. Little things like that tipped Malik off that something was off about them.

Shaking his head, Malik returned to a problem that had been bugging him for the past few weeks. Marik's birthday was in a couple of weeks, as was Bakura's (it'd figure that the two shared the same date of birth – Malik wondered if that day had been the day Satan's power had been at its peak or something, in order to spawn those two terrors), and the young Egyptian still had no idea what to get them. Or rather, Marik. The dark and handsome Egyptian never really hinted at being interested in anything other than Malik, he thought with a blush. And it's not like he could wrap himself up and sit in a box – on second thought…wait, no, bad Malik! Bad Malik! Bad…naughty…images…gah!

Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Malik decided that he needed to catch up on more sleep. His roommate was a total slob, so Malik often stayed up later to clean up after the guy. Tonight, though, he'd be the first to get to bed. Let the guy with the fish-fetish clean up after himself for once, Ra-dammit.

* * *

"Malik-pretty loves me. Malik-pretty loves me not. Malik-pretty loves me. Malik-pretty loves me more. Malik-pretty loves me a lot. Malik-pretty loves – "

"Oh for Kami-sama's sake would you _shut up_?" Bakura growled at him from across the bedroom, and Marik was forced to close his mouth, placing the daisy he had taken from the field on his bedside table. The albino sighed gratefully. "Thank Kami, I thought I was going to go _insane. _You weren't even doing it right!"

"That's because there's absolutely no question that Malik-pretty loves me!" Marik crowed triumphantly. Bakura rolled his eyes.

"He won't love you for long if you keep acting like a lunatic," he sneered. Marik grinned.

"But that's why I'm here, eh? We're all lunatics here," he responded cheekily. Bakura snorted.

"You know that's not true," he responded quietly. Marik's grin faded and he sat up on his cot. Bakura sighed. "Two more weeks, Marik. Then we'll be free to leave and get on with our lives."

"Have you thought about what you're going to do?" Marik asked solemnly. Bakura shrugged.

"We'll probably have to get some small time crappy jobs at a bar or something first," he said. "Then maybe we could go to one of those career colleges where they train you to be mechanics or something so we can get real jobs. After that, I dunno…"

"We'll think of something along the way. That's what we do best, after all," Marik reassured him. Bakura 'harrumph'ed and turned away, staring at the wall.

"Why did you stay with me?" he asked softly, so softly that Marik almost missed it. "You wasted two years of your life here just so you could stay with me. Why?"

"…Because I loved you," Marik said abruptly. Bakura's head snapped up and he stared at Marik in shock. "I know what you're gonna say," Marik interjected hastily. "But let me explain. I don't love you anymore…at least, not like that. You're more like a brother to me now." Bakura relaxed slightly. "But before, when we just got here…I followed you because I was head over heels for ya. I couldn't imagine my life without you by my side - still can't, to be honest. So I stayed."

"Just like that? So easily?" Bakura whispered, expression unreadable.

"It wasn't an easy decision," Marik replied honestly. "My parents were good parents. But they were…dull. You know me, I'm all for excitement." Bakura grinned slightly at this. "They loved me, but they didn't see the real me. No one did. Except you. That's why I stayed. You're my best friend, Bakura. Best friends stick together."

"At least you're not in love with me anymore," Bakura said playfully. Marik smirked.

"Nah, Malik-pretty's way prettier than you anyways."

"HEY! Take that back! I'm fucking gorgeous and you know it!"

"I never knew you were so vain, 'Kura."

"Shut up and go to sleep, Marik." Bakura dug under the covers and flipped off his lamp, and Marik did the same a few moments later. A few minute of silence passed.

"…Bakura?"

"What?"

"Good night."

Marik could almost hear Bakura smile fondly under the cover of darkness.

"Good night Marik."

* * *

Yugi crossed his fingers apprehensively underneath his desk and bit his lip as the instructor passed out their last math test. He had stayed up all night the day before the test in order to study, cramming theorem after theorem into his brain. He had felt pretty good after the exam, but now, waiting for it to be passed back, he wasn't so sure. He was positive he had gotten number thirty-five B wrong. And he probably forgot to carry a one somewhere in problem four. And what if he had confused the formulas for a hyperbola and an ellipse - ?

"Here you go, Muto-kun. I must say, I'm quite pleased with your progress," his math instructor, Suugaku-sensei said, placing the paper face-down on his desk. Yugi, fingers shaking, flipped the corner up and peeked at the score, then flipped the entire paper over and gaped.

_Ninety. _

_Ninety point freaking O percent! _

Yugi let out a sigh of relief and leaned back in his seat, grinning at the ceiling. His grandfather had told him he'd accept no less than a ninety, and here it was! A perfect ninety! Yugi figured that some god up there must have felt sorry and taken pity on him, because there was _no way_ he should have kept that point despite forgetting to round his answer. But _who cares? It was a ninety-freaking-percent!_

Thankfully, math class was the last period of the day, so as soon as the bell rang Yugi shot out of the classroom towards his locker. After changing his shoes, he all but ran the entire way back to his grandfather's game shop, and caused the bell to ring deafeningly as he burst into the shop.

"I got a ninety percent Jii-chan!" he exclaimed excitedly, waving the test in his grandfather's face. Sugoroku blinked a moment, his eyes crossing in an effort to see the words on the paper. Once they focused, he smiled warmly at his grandson.

"Congratulations, my boy! I suppose I'll have to keep up my end of the bargain, then?" he asked rhetorically, chuckling at seeing his grandson so happy again. Yugi's eyes shined.

"Can we go visit this Saturday, Jii-chan?" he asked eagerly, jumping on the balls of his feet. Sugoroku's smile faltered and he shook his head regretfully.

"I'm afraid not, Yugi," he said apologetically. "I'm expecting a new shipment of Monster World merchandise on Saturday and I have to be here. We can go on Sunday instead, okay?"

Yugi sighed dejectedly, but brightened soon after. Later was better than never, after all. "Of course, Jii-chan! I need to get Yami a present anyways!" he into the house and Sugoroku heard him going up the stairs to his room. When he heard Yugi's bedroom door close, he chuckled and shook his head in resignation.

"Kids these days…"

* * *

"Well? Have you come a decision, Atemu?" Shadi asked him, hands folded on top of his desk. Yami had requested an appointment with the doctor earlier, and now they were both sitting in his office. The half Egyptian boy nodded at his question.

"I have, Dr. Shadi," he responded, and then paused. Shadi raised an eyebrow delicately.

"And?" he pressed. Yami took a deep, shuddering breath to steady himself, and clenched his fists underneath the table.

"I'll go with my uncle."

* * *

**A/N: ACK! /dodges thrown objects/ DON'T KILL MEEEH! D8**

**I just realized that the day I updated was supposed to be the FF 'Blackout' day. Maybe that's why there weren't as many reviews. LOL I fail...my bad. XD Hope I didn't ruin your protest. I'm just one user, right? Heh heh.../sweatdrop/ In my defense, none of my fanfiction subscriptions had any updates telling me about it until after I had updated, so it was a little late. And I'm always logged onto FF anyways, so...**

**Anyways, please review!**

**P.S. I was looking back at my old authors notes for this story and I swear I cringed at every single one of them. Was I that much of a dork? Well, I'm already pretty dorky considering I'm writing fanfiction at sixteen but SERIOUSLY? Talking to myself? Making imaginary characters throw me birthday parties? Ugh. I'm the epitome of "Forever Alone". #nolifelol**

**P.P.S. Stop alerting my other stories! D'8 It's making me feel really bad since I'm probably never finishing them (plus they're really bad, OMG what was I smoking with that crossover?)...I have about fifty bajillion Bleach plot bunnies on my memory stick that are begging to replace them too...**


End file.
